


The Seven Days in Sunny June Complete Box Set

by Beast5200



Category: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe, Betrayal, Curses, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Death, Drama, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Gen, I DO NOT OWN THIS, Intrigue, Like OMG this is a long wild ride., Lots of shit goes down, M/M, Magic, Mind Manipulation, Murder, Not always accurate science, Only Publishing so I can download as ePUB file, Portals, Post-Five Nights at Freddy's 1, Rape, Redemption, Werewolf ponies, a Bunch of shit happens, like a lot, yes Five nights at freddys gets invlolved at one point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 09:13:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 69
Words: 354,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18008063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beast5200/pseuds/Beast5200
Summary: A collection of all of the as of yet completed Berylverse series. Now all in a single fic and in chronological order.I do not own any of this. I merely put the 25ish stories together. These stories belong to BlueBastard, Flynt Coal, Shinzakura, and last but not least FlashFrame. Yes I got permission to do this.





	1. Book:1 A hairy Problem Ch.1 Into the Forest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shinzkara](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Shinzkara).



> I do not own any of this. I haven't writen a single word of it. All I did as put it all together in a single place in chronological order. (Does not contain any unfinished story of this series as of 3/5/2019)
> 
> Lets start with Book 1 A Hairy Problem by BlueBastard

Chapter 1

  


It was business as usual in the marketplace as Celestia’s sun began its descent, coloring the sky beautiful shades of orange. Applejack was happy about having sold most of her stock of apples and apple accessories, not only because of the money but because it meant less stuff she had to pack up and carry home with her. It wasn’t the weight that concerned the farm pony, since she was one of the strongest ponies in town save for possibly her brother; the “Iron Pony” incident where she lost to Rainbow Dash _did not count at all_ for...various reasons. No, it was simply getting back to the farm before the night had settled in and Luna’s moon shone from above.

Applejack herself didn’t know why she wanted to be home that early; it was something that apparently developed recently. If you’d asked her a few weeks ago about doing stuff in the dead of night, such as venturing to that old castle where she and her friends had defeated Nightmare Moon, she’d have thought nothing of it. But now, even just thinking about going into the Everfree Forest at night made Applejack shudder as she put the last of her goods into the wagon.

 _Maybe askin’ Twilight about this might be a good idea,_ Applejack thought. While the last time the purple unicorn had tried to do that “psychiatric help” thing on Rainbow Dash did not end well, Twilight wasn’t exactly herself that day either judging from how she’d made the whole town go gaga over that old doll of hers.

“Which Big Mac still has for some reason,” the orange mare muttered to herself as she hitched herself up to the wagon and began heading home. It was a fair bit to walk, Sweet Apple Acres being a good little distance away from the center of Ponyville, but AJ didn’t mind. After a whole day of standing behind a wooden stand, it was a real relief to her to get the chance to finally put her leg muscles to work. It wasn’t the same as Applebucking, but it was better than nothing.

As she pulled up to the barn to stow both it and the goods, she could smell the familiar scent of apples coming from the kitchen. One would think that a diet composed of mostly apples and apple-based foodstuffs would get real bland, but that wasn’t the case for the Apple Family. To them, the taste of apples was something that never got old, and right now AJ could hear the rumbling in her stomach, eager for some of Granny’s cooking. By now the sun had set and the stars had begun to sparkle in the sky, but Applejack wasn’t worried. She was home now, where the night couldn’t hurt her.

* * *

“So, today was a good day for sellin’ apples, eh?” said Granny Smith. The elderly green mare, the Apple family matriarch, wasn’t able to help with the manual labor aspect of farm operations due to her artificial hip replacement (despite being strong enough to support a full-grown unicorn mare wearing fifteen pounds of makeup on her back), but her skills in cooking were unaffected in her old age which allowed her to still help keep the farm going.

“Yep! Ah even had one of those Wonderbolt fellows show up, Soarin’ was his name Ah think. He ended up buyin’ all of yer pies, saying somethin’ about how he’d been dyin’ to taste one of them after the Gala,” Applejack replied. “He probably would have bought more, the guy was loaded Ah tell ya, but then Rainbow came along and scared him off by wantin’ his autograph.”

“That’s a shame, but Ah hope he’ll be back tomorrow. We need more red paint for the barn y’know”.

“Granny, Ah bought all the red paint we need for that. Don’t you remember?”

“Ah know you did, but now we need more because of what Apple Bloom and her friends did with the paint you _did_ buy.”

Big Mac, whose silent presence still carried all of his weight in the physical sense, replied with a trademark “Eeyup” before looking unhappily at the fourth member of the Apple family, Granny joining in while Applejack had a confused look on her face before remembering what the Cutie Mark Crusaders usually ended up doing with “borrowed” things. All the yellow filly could do was look at the rest of her family with an embarrassed grin.

“Apple Bloom…” AJ started, “… _what_ did you and your friends do with the paint?”

“We, um…Well, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Ah…tried to build a car.” Sheepishly replied the youngest Apple.

“A car?” said the elder sister, raising an eyebrow “What in the hay is a ‘car’”?

At this, the filly brightened up a bit, “Okay, ya know those floats that we built for the harvest parade? A car is somethin’ like that, only it’s about as big as a passenger wagon and is meant for regular use instead of just holiday parades and stuff.”

A passenger wagon built like a float? That sounded dangerous and stupid to Applejack. Which meant there was only _one_ pony that could have given the CMC the idea. “Let me guess; _Lyra_ told you about this ‘car’ thing didn’t she?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Nope, it was Sandalwood.”

Facehoofing, Applejack mentally scolded herself for not realizing the obvious. Sandalwood was a relative newcomer to Ponyville, to apprentice under Lotus and Aloe at the local spa. Her special talent involved making perfumes, although with a name like Sandal _WOOD_ all AJ could figure was that she should have been a carpenter instead, a fact her cutie mark seemed to be confused about as it was a sandalwood sprig overlaid with a fancy perfume bottle.

But that wasn’t what made Applejack facehoof. No, it was the fact Sandalwood had jumped onto Lyra’s bandwagon and fully believed in those creatures known as “humans” or something. Worse, while Lyra just believed they existed, Sandalwood went a bit further. According to Pinkie Pie, Sandy had dreams about not only being human, but having been adopted by humans in their world and eventually becoming a famous writer. Oh, and that Rarity was in fact her mother somehow even though Sandalwood’s real parents lived in Fairflanks. The whole thing sounded beyond stupid to any sane pony, especially Applejack, which is why it didn’t surprise her that Sandalwood would give the CMC the idea to strap a motor to a lightweight wagon, most likely claiming it was something the humans used.

“Apple Bloom, why do ya think ponies only use motors on heavy things like floats? Self-propelled engines are still relatively new an’ require the weight so they don’t go crashin’ into things at high speed. Nopony can control ‘em without the counterweight in the frame. Ah’m guessin’ that ‘losin’ control’ is exactly what happened to yer ‘car’, right?”

Her face turning a bright red, all Applebloom could do was look down at her half-finished dinner and reply “Eeyup.”

“So now that we have that established, how does all that paint Ah bought before work into this?”

Now turning more red than Big Mac, Apple Bloom didn’t dare look anypony in the eye as she said “Sandalwood said it would go faster if we painted it red, so we…used all the red paint to make sure it would go as fast as possible”.

“So ya build this ‘car’ thing an’ use up all of our red paint so it will be as dangerous as possible…Apple Bloom, what in Equestria were you three _thinkin_ ’?!” While Applejack was angry about all the red paint having been used up (considering how often the barn ended up getting destroyed at least once a year by what seemed like fate, paint expenses were not something the Apples needed to go higher), now she was concerned about her sister doing things that risked life and limb for stupid reasons.

“We thought we could get our cutie marks in car buildin’ or maybe even vehicle racin’, but those don’t seem to be our special talents…”

AJ sighed, it was the only thing she could do. ‘Car buildin’ an’/or racin’, just two more attempts at things the CMC were obviously not talented in. On second thought, Scootaloo might have actually had a shot, but AJ personally thought the orange Pegasus filly was more talented in agility than speed. But that was unimportant, what was important was that if Apple Bloom and her friends were not going to stop doing everything they could to get their cutie marks, then they needed to at least dial down the risk factor. Then AJ realized there was something Apple Bloom seemed to avoiding. “Apple Bloom…what exactly happened to the car?”

Finally looking at her big sister with the most all-knowing grin she could muster, the filly replied “Well…ah don’t actually know”

“How the hay can ya _not_ know what happened to it?!”

“After we tried drivin’ it, we lost control over it an’ ended up goin’ straight towards the Everfree. We all bailed but the car kept on goin’ right into the forest. Ah know it wasn’t goin’ towards Zecora’s, but where it ended up Ah really don’t know”.

AJ repeated her facehoof. The CMC had allowed a mechanical monstrosity to go right into the Everfree. That industrial pet hair dryer, which AJ never could get a straight answer about how the CMC got it beyond “it wasn’t stolen” under the Pinkie Promise of no lying, had been one thing, but at the very least it wasn’t going to blow up and Winona really liked using it for some reason, but this? As much as the ponies preferred to stay out of the Everfree Forest, they at least had the good sense not to leave their garbage in it.

“Well, looks like Ah gotta go gather up the group to go lookin’ for this thing. Don’t want it to explode in there or do somethin’ that would be harm any poor critter in the Everfree. it would be quite a waste of good lumber and parts for next year’s float if anythin’.” Applejack muttered as she got up and immediately headed for the door. She knew her friends were not going to be happy about this, especially Rarity, but they were always there to help her out, and she was going to need it tonight.

Thankfully she was already out the door when she froze. Tonight? Looking up, she could see Luna’s moon was in its full phase tonight. AJ didn’t know why, but this just made it even more frightening. Working up the nerve to keep walking towards the sleeping settlement ahead, she realized that her friends were not only necessary to assist in locating this ‘car’ the CMC sent careening into the worst possible place, but she would need them in order to feel even remotely safe.

 _The sooner this is over,_ thought the shaken mare, _the better!_

* * *

“So…this ‘car’ thing, do you anything else about it beyond it having been built like a passenger wagon and painted red?” asked Twilight Sparkle.

“Nope. Ah didn’t even know it existed until Granny Smith made Apple Bloom explain to me why we needed more red barn paint.”

“Well I hope it isn’t _too_ far into this ghastly place, I do need my beauty sleep you know” interjected Rarity, who for some reason had taken fifteen minutes to get out of her house much to the annoyance of the others.

A multi-colored blur whizzed past above the group before landing a bit further ahead to wait for them, asking, “Why are we even looking for this thing at night? If it’s as bright red as your barn, AJ, then it would be a lot easier to look for it in the day when it’s not as dark looking as the trees.”

“Because it could cause some serious trouble if we don’t find it sooner than later. The worst case is if it ends up explodin’ because of the engine, but Ah honestly doubt it will. If it was left runnin’ then all the fuel should be used up by now. But we still need to get it outta here ASAP before it hurts something or somepony.”

“Big deal, unless it’s covered in spikes I doubt it could even hurt a parasprite,” responded Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes at Applejack before falling in line with the rest of the group.

“Y-you never know for sure until it actually _does_ hurt some innocent creature,” spoke the timid voice of Fluttershy, who pretty much only came along because Applejack needed her to help cover more ground and the potential threat the “car” could have in harming the wildlife.

“Oh, don’t worry Fluttershy, I’m sure it’s not _that_ dangerous!” happily chirped Pinkie Pie, who in contrast to the other five mares was bouncing instead of walking, “And if some small creature gets hurt, you’ll be there to make it all better!”.

Applejack couldn’t help but let out a small smile. She was doing her best to hide how absolutely terrified she was of doing this at night, so the willingness of her friends to help her locate this thing her sister had made helped her relax a bit.

Unfortunately, even after all this time, AJ still royally sucked at lying or hiding her feelings. She was involuntarily trembling with every step she took, so much that all of her friends had immediately agreed to go with her into the most dangerous place near town in the dead of night because they could tell something was wrong. Fluttershy had even mentally noted at AJ, normally brave and usually the most level headed, was now far more scared than the normally timid Pegasus was during normal things such as Nightmare Night. But with every step Fluttershy grew more and more concerned as AJ’s condition visibly worsened despite the commendable effort she was putting in to not sounding scared out of her wits, something Fluttershy herself never could do. Finally, her concern overrode her bashfulness. “Applejack, what’s bothering you?”

“W-whatever do ya mean, Fl-fluttershy?” responded Applejack. The instantaneous change from controlled tones to scared ones told Fluttershy that this thing was far worse to the farm pony than most of the things she had faced with the others, with and without the Elements of Harmony. The other four ponies noticed as well, all of them looking at Applejack with concern on their faces.

Realizing the position she was in, AJ knew she had no choice other than telling them. The last time she tried this ended with her nearly getting run over with a train due to not winning any blue ribbons at the Equestrian Rodeo, and while she doubted that would possibly happen again here in the forest, she’d learned her lesson and wasn’t going to repeat the mistake.

“Ah…Ah’m not quite sure how to explain this to ya’ll, but…but recently Ah’ve been gettin’ scared of the night. Ah don’t know why, just…just that it feels like somethin’ is out there, somethin’ that wants to get me. Ah swear Ah’ve never been so scared in all my life, but Ah didn’t mention this to ya’ll ‘cause Ah’m sure it’s just nothin’ that needs to be worried about”.

Twilight looked at her friend incredulously “AJ, the last time you thought something was nothing was when I was freaking out about not having a friendship report to send to Celestia. While I doubt you could cause as much damage as I did with that ‘Want It Need It’ spell, I refuse to let the same problem happen to you. Are you sure you haven’t had these kinds of feeling before?”

Putting her hoof to her chin, AJ thought hard. “Now that ya mention it, Ah might have felt this way before. Mah memory of the time is kinda fuzzy, don’t remember much of it, but you may have a point. Whatever it is causin’ me trouble, it-” Applejack froze mid-sentence. She hadn’t fully recalled the memory, but all she could remember was that it had been traumatic. Something that even to her best friends she felt she couldn’t divulge just yet, this was a family matter.

Twilight, not exactly catching on to the signs AJ was giving off that the memory wasn’t pleasant, was about to inquire further when Pinkie suddenly exclaimed “Hey, what’s that?” and proceeded to bounce off to look at something she’d seen off the side of the path. The rest of the group followed, instinctively making sure they didn’t step in any Poison Joke lest they be the victims of nature’s sense of humor.

The path the ponies had been following went out of view as the group arrived at what Pinkie had found. Stuck in a ditch was a bright red wagon, with an engine attached to the back with belts running through the floor of the wagon and attaching to the rear axle, while the front axle was connected to a series of gears and the steering wheel. The seemingly random patches of gold on the engine suggested it had been salvaged from its previous home inside the golden apple cart the CMC had booby trapped to get revenge on the visiting Babs Seed. That had ended poorly for the CMC when they ended up saving Babs instead, so the fact the same engine had only caused more trouble for the three fillies was unsurprising.

On the other hoof, though, Applejack had to admit for long distance traveling, this ‘car’ could prove useful, but as the engine had no speed control it was easy to see how the vehicle had gotten away from the fillies. It also reminded her of that infernal machine those two brothers had arrived in that nearly ruined the Apples, the “Super Speedy something-or-other 9001”, although that had been powered by unicorn magic and had probably already been abandoned in a ditch as well, the brothers moving on to a new scheme to take over other ponies businesses.

“Twilight, do you think you could lift this thing outta here?” asked Applejack, already knowing the answer.

“I don’t need to think I could, silly,” teased the unicorn as her horn became surrounded by a purple aura. The car became engulfed in an aura of the same color and began to rise out of the ditch as if it suddenly was a helium balloon. Effortlessly, Twilight magically moved the wagon through the air and, with a nod, started walking it towards the path while it floated ahead of her, reorienting itself as to not collide with trees and other obstacles.

Rarity was the one who broke the silence: “So, remind me again why I’m losing beauty sleep over this, a situation where I’m not even needed?” AJ gave her a look that clearly meant she was trying to figure out an answer, but she never got the chance as Rarity’s scowl turned into a teasing smile. While she was rather unhappy about having to come out into the forest for nothing, AJ’s little confession earlier made it clear Rarity’s mere presence has been reason enough to ask her to accompany her into this place, and who was Rarity to deny one of her closest friends that kind of support?

Rainbow, in comparison, was understandably annoyed for the same reasons. While she too was willing to help out a friend in need, it was the fact her earlier suggestion of waiting until morning to find the car would have saved them all some sleep and effort since the only thing that got damaged was some trees. No harmed animals, no explosions, no nothing but a wrecked cart. RD of course made this annoyance clear in mumbling to herself as she followed Rarity back to the forest path, Pinkie and Fluttershy following behind. Applejack was the last to leave, smiling in that nothing bad had happened.

That was when something bad happened.

Out of nowhere, a shadowy figure shot out of the forest and right into Applejack, sending her flying back and hitting a tree. Dazed, she didn’t even have enough time before the creature before her was suddenly right in her face and pinning her down. Then she felt it bite into her neck, to which all she could do was scream.

Everything after that became a blur. The sound of something crashing into the ground a short distance away. Pinkie screaming at the thing biting into her neck. The thing letting go to bark at the location Pinkie had been at. A familiar streak of purple magic blasting the creature away. Something vaguely resembling a pony with purple hair standing above her. Then it was all dark as AJ passed out, a combination of shock and blood loss.


	2. Book1 Ch.2 The Beginning of Issues

Chapter 2

Applejack woke up to find herself staring at a blue wall. It was hard enough just to open her eyes, to say she felt like crap was an understatement. But at least she knew she was safe, this couldn’t have been anywhere else other than Ponyville General Hospital. Which would explain why she was in a bed, had something wrapped heavily around her neck, and one of those electronic heart rate monitors attached to her right foreleg. Her vision slowly getting better, she could see her familiar brown hat hanging on the coat rack next to the door, waiting for its owner to wear it again. But she didn’t remember asking anypony to put it up there. Then again, she didn’t remember what-

“Oh no!” exclaimed the orange mare as she sat up in the bed. Her friends! Where were they, what happened?! She only grew more panicked as the hazy memories returned. The amount of time since the attack was unknown, but all she could remember was some creature attacking her in the forest and her passing out when her friends rushed in to help.

Thankfully, as she chanced to glance to her right, she didn’t need to worry. Her friends were very much alive, having kept vigil over her in the room overnight as evidenced by them all having fallen asleep. AJ couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw Rainbow, who was curled up in a chair and sucking on her hoof like a baby. Somehow, that didn’t surprise her.

But that didn’t change the fact there was something in the forest that was dangerous, but more importantly also silent as the night when moving about. Sure, the Everfree forest was full of dangerous creatures such as the Manticore, the Cockatrice, and most dangerous of all the Timberwolves. In fact, AJ was thinking it was a Timberwolf that attacked her, but while extremely vicious they do have the problem of not being as stealthy as they would like since all that wood in their bodies gives them away. They also have extremely bad breath, which this creature that attacked her did not (well, she didn’t actually remember smelling it, but even if it was bad it wasn’t nearly as noticeable as the breath of a Timberwolf). AJ also reasoned that Twilight had come up with this rationale beforehand and sent a letter off to the Princesses to let them know of this new problem.

That was when a nurse pony entered the room. Applejack immediately identified her as Nurse Redheart, who had been at both the temporary emergency clinic after the “baked bads” incident and had been annoyed by Pinkie’s antics when the Cake twins had been born.

“Oh, good, you’re awake!” Redheart said, the relief in her voice showing her concern for AJ’s health. “You gave the hospital quite a scare when your friend over there teleported both you and the rest of her party to our front door. You’re lucky that she acted so quickly, you were losing a lot of blood by the time you arrived last night. Had she not acted as quickly, you might have received permanent brain damage.”

“Nurse,” Applejack asked in response, “does mah family know Ah’m here?”

“Of course. After you were admitted your pegasus friends flew off to let them know. You have some dedicated friends, Miss Applejack, normally visitors aren’t allowed past 8pm but since you six have saved Equestria so many times, you all get to be the exception,” replied Redheart with a wink.

“Thank you, nurse.”

“Of course. However, when you were admitted, all we could get out of your friend's rapid-fire talking was that something had happened in the Everfree Forest involving some contraption called a ‘car’, do you think you could give us a little more information on why that relates to what we’re guessing was a Timberwolf attack?”

“Um….” Applejack had to think on that one. She couldn’t outright say it wasn’t a Timberwolf, she knew it wasn’t but Nurse Redheart probably wouldn’t believe her and/or think she actually had brain damage from blood loss. Then again, whatever had attacked her had been vaguely wolf-like, so it wouldn’t exactly be lying if she said as such, and maybe she could keep this a secret as Twilight would most likely have recommended in the face of a new threat in the Everfree. Making up her mind, Applejack decided to tell as much as she felt comfortable in telling Redheart; “Well, this whole thing started when Ah learned mah sister decided to try inventin’ this thing called a ‘car’ with her friends…”

* * *

The hospital staff didn’t know what to make of Applejack’s injury. Or rather, how fast the injury had healed. Most ponies lucky enough to survive a Timberwolf bite to the jugular _and_ not lose enough blood for there to be brain damage take weeks or even months to recover to the point of being able to function normally.

But with Applejack, the wounds had stopped bleeding within twelve hours of her receiving them, and after a full day of her staying in the hospital (the hospital insisted on it in case the wounds were infected or worse) they had completely healed up. Her fur had even grown back, so there was no sign of her ever having been nearly fatally wounded. The doctors didn’t know what to make of it, although a popular theory was that Applejack was in fact granted rapid healing abilities due to her connection with the Elements, objects of power so great even the great Princesses didn’t fully understand them. With the mare herself showing no signs of the injury having any lasting effects, the staff had no choice but to let her go.

Upon arriving home, Applejack was tackled by her family, all of them grateful that she was alright. Apple Bloom especially, who burst into tears while hugging her big sister like she was going to lose her again very soon, since she blamed herself for causing the whole situation in the first place due to building the car. The car itself, which was slightly damaged and been left on the path in the Everfree Forest due to Twilight’s quick reactions to the attack, was recovered a few days later. Applejack and friends, along with a few Royal Guards sent by Celestia to ensure safety, towed the vehicle to the barn where it had been conceived. There it would stay until the Apples decided what to do with it.

As for Applejack, she was just glad that after the whole ordeal, everything was returning to normal. As she returned home after a shopping trip to buy more red barn paint (for which the crown also paid for, much to her relief), she noted that she no longer felt afraid of the night. While she figured she’d been afraid of the thing that had attacked her, the fact she knew what it generally was and had even faced it probably had something to do with her now absent fear.

“Probably somethin' to talk with Twilight about,” she mused as she stored the paint in the barn, this time well out of reach of Apple Bloom in case she tried building something like a larger car with a cardboard Twilight in the back (why Apple Bloom would want another car with a fake Twilight in the back, AJ had no idea, but the idea struck her as funny). Then, drawn by the scent of fresh apple-based food coming from the kitchen, the farm pony locked up the barn to join her family. All was as it should be.  
Or so they thought.

Little did Applejack know the horror of what was in store for her. It was about a month after the attack that Applejack started to show signs that maybe something wasn’t right with her after all.

At the time of the car being recovered, Applejack had intended to confront Sandalwood about the whole affair the next day. However, due to family matters, Sandalwood had been out of town for a week to return to Fairflanks. But now she was returning home, much to the joy of Lotus and Aloe, whose business had been markedly improving ever since Sandalwood had lent her perfume expertise to them.

And it pleased one orange earth pony who had a score to settle.

It was the day after Sandalwood resumed her post at the spa, a bright sunny day that would never imply the dark times that were ahead for several of the town’s residents. The tan-and-brown earth pony was busy organizing her stock of perfumes for the aromatherapy options the spa had recently added to their services.

“Hey, Sandy!” called out Lotus, “There’s somebody here who wants to talk to you!”

“Okay, be right there!” answered Sandalwood, wondering who could possibly want to talk to her.

She found Applejack waiting in the lobby, wearing a rather unhappy expression. Sandalwood couldn’t help but think it wasn’t related to how the farm pony normally didn’t visit the spa unless her friend Rarity was also present.

“Can I help you, miss?” asked Sandalwood. Even if the pony wasn’t a regular customer, she wasn’t going to turn her down. No discounts, though, even if she was a friend of Rarity’s, since Sandy needed to prove the aromatherapy was profitable. The perfumes she had to import were not cheap.

“Yeah, we have a little problem to discuss,” Applejack answered. Coldly. That immediately got Sandalwood on edge; she’d evidently done wrong by this pony but for the life of her she could imagine why.

“A problem? I apologize, but I don’t know what you’re-”

“Ya encouraged mah sister an’ her friends to build a wood-and-metal deathtrap ya call a ‘car’!” Applejack interrupted. It was clear she was getting angry about this, more so with every passing second.

“I what? I did no such thing!” exclaimed Sandalwood. She legitimately didn’t know what the other pony was talking about, or more worryingly how she knew about ‘the car’ project. Then again, Sandalwood didn’t even know who this pony was, unless… “Wait, your sister? As in that yellow filly with the red mane?”

“Yes, mah sister Apple Bloom, and her friends; the orange Pegasus and the pale gray unicorn, yah inspired them to make a ‘car’ that nearly killed them, an’ then later nearly indirectly killed me!”

Sandalwood immediately knew what had happened, the expression on her face evidence enough. “Oh, Celestia…look, I’m really sorry if they caused any trouble, but I did _not_ say anything about them building a car.”

“Then what _did_ ya say?!”

Letting out a sigh, Sandalwood did her best to explain; “Okay, I know the fillies you’re talking about. I told them what a car is, Lyra and I are working on making one ourselves, but don’t tell anyone since it apparently involves parts from an incident nobody wants to tell me bout, at least according to Lyra. I had to, I dunno how they found out about it but they wouldn’t leave me alone. They’d also known it was red somehow, so I told them the color made it go faster. At _no_ point did I ever suggest they actually try to make one themselves!”

**“LIAR!”** exclaimed Applejack, who suddenly rushed forward to throttle the other pony, slamming her into the wall. Sandalwood could only convey fear at the expression of rage on Applejack’s face, which she could only describe as extremely unpony-like.

“Applejack, what are you doing?!” a very fancy sounding voice suddenly shouted from behind her. Turning to see the source of the voice, Applejack was shocked to see it was none other than Rarity, who was also wearing her custom spa robe.

“Ah, um…” answered the orange mare. She then realized she was still holding Sandalwood by the neck and reacted as if she hadn’t known she’d been trying to kill the aromatherapy expert the whole time. “Oh Celestia, Ah’m so sorry!” Applejack said apologetically as she let go of Sandalwood, letting the gasping pony fall to the floor. “Ah...Ah just don’t know what came over me!”

“Sandalwood, are you alright?!” Rarity said as she rushed to the other pony’s side, letting her farmer friend try to reason out her actions from a moment ago.

“Yeah, I’ll…I’ll be fine,” replied the shaken, but not stirred pony. “Look, uh, Applejack is it? I understand your anger, but please understand that if I’d had any knowledge your sister and her friends were actually trying to make a motorized vehicle I would have done everything in my power to stop them. But next time, don’t try to choke anypony, okay?”

“Uh, yeah…” AJ said in response. This wasn’t like her, not at all. Sure, she got angry, but never enough to actually try to choke another pony out of pure rage.

“Applejack, darling, are you feeling okay? Maybe you need to go home and lie down, let yourself relax. After all, you’ve been working those apple trees almost around the clock ever since the doctor said you were okay to go back to work.”

“Yeah…maybe yer right, Rarity, maybe the whole car business went to mah head…”. With an acknowledgement through nods, Applejack slowly turned and left the spa.

“What was _her_ problem?” asked Sandalwood once she was sure her assailant was out of earshot “I was trying to explain what I knew about this car business when she just screamed at me and tried to strangle me!”

“While it is odd for somepony like Applejack to go that far into rage, she’s been through a lot lately. How about I tell you about it while you demonstrate this new aromatherapy that Lotus and Aloe have been just gushing about?”

“Of course, those two have been telling me that of all the ponies in this town, you’re the one who needs to experience my skills firsthand. And then after you tell me why I just nearly died, we can discuss some of your new fashions? I must admit, I’m somewhat of a fan of your work, Miss Rarity.”

“Oh, but of course!” happily exclaimed Rarity as the two headed into the back areas of the spa, “I can tell we’re going to get along just fine, you and I, _just_ fine indeed!”

* * *

Meanwhile, at Golden Oaks Library, Twilight was very pleased with a recent arrival to the collection. The book, a rare copy of _Magical and Maniacal Monsters of Malicious Mayhem_ , was one she’d been wanting to look at for weeks, but due to a recent scientific discovery involving the connection between the race known as Changelings and the formerly-believed-to-exist selkies; the water horses of the west, most of the available copies had been checked out and the waiting lists so long that even the Princesses had trouble putting Twilight at the top of the waiting list. It had annoyed Celestia to the point she’d ordered that Golden Oaks to receive a copy to be permanently added to its inventory. “Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!” Twilight shouted over and over, bouncing around the library.

“Twilight are you actually going to read that book or just stare at the cover all day?” asked her companion Spike, number one assistant and adopted younger brother.

“I’m sorry, Spike, but I’ve been wanting to look at this book for so long that the fact the Princess was willing to give me a private copy is just so… _amazing_!”

“I read the letter that came with that book, Twilight, the princess said that book is for the collection, not exclusively for you” smugly commented the purple dragon.

“Honestly, Spike, you think anybody is going to check out a book like this?” countered Twilight, equally smug. As the librarian, she knew the books most of the ponies checked out in Ponyville, and outside of Lyra and the transplant Sandalwood nobody really checked out books dealing with scientific anomalies. And there was no way in hell Twilight was letting those two get their hooves on this book, the crazy ideas they might come up with from the cover alone would be disastrous.

Deflected, Spike just rolled his eyes and went back to re-alphabetizing the “Magic 101 for Young Unicorns” section, noting how poor the condition of many of the books were, no doubt from young unicorns trying higher level spells on them such as setting them on fire or attempting to turn the books into Daring Do fanfiction.

While Spike went back to work, Twilight decided to set her new book aside while she worked on her own reports, which was another summary of the recent letters to the princess both she and her friends had sent in the past few months. Had she given into temptation and read the book then and there, much of the events she would later be involved with could have been prevented.

* * *

**“LYRA!”** exclaimed Bon-Bon. Derpy had just delivered the mail, and much to Bon-Bon’s annoyance another one of “those” letters had arrived.

“Be right there!” called out the unicorn. Bon-Bon just rolled her eyes and dropped the mail on the kitchen table. There needed to be an intervention, now, or else Bon-Bon was going to lose her mind. Finally, Lyra entered the kitchen with a smile on her face, greeting the other pony with a smile.

“What’s up?”

“I’m not sure how much more I can take of this, Lyra. This is the _fifth_ letter in two months from your father. I know it’s to you but don’t pretend we both don’t know what it’s about.”

Lyra’s face fell. Her father had been sending letters about the same subject for some time, but she’d just figured he’d stop after a while. But if Bon-Bon was going to snap before then, Lyra had no choice. “Fine, I’ll call him later when I know he’s home and we’ll settle it right then and there.”

“Please, Lyra, if your father ruins this relationship then…then I don’t know what I’ll do!” Bon-Bon exclaimed while trying to avoid breaking down into tears. Always ready to support her close friend, Lyra walked over and draped a foreleg over Bon-Bon, drawing her into a hug.

“I know how much Chocolate Chip means to you, Bonnie,” soothed Lyra. “Even if he found one of these letters, I know he loves you too much for this to breakup with you.”

“I know, it’s just that…you know the trouble I’ve had with stallions, I don’t want to lose Chip, I know he’s my special somepony and that we’re meant to be together, so for your father to-“

“Bon-Bon, it’s not going to happen. I know my dad thinks we’re a lesbian couple even though I’ve told him many times we’re just flatmates. I think he just wants me to get married, even though he knows I’m straight. I swear to Luna if this one even suggests that you secretly want to have my babies, I’ll have him committed to an insane asylum.”

“I’d do it myself if that was the case. I like you Lyra, but suggesting I’m that much in love with you to the point of physical impossibility, well that’s just crazy. Then again, you believe in humans and managed to convince me to give you the shed outside for that weird-ass machine project, so crazy must run in the family!”

The two friends shared a good laugh. Lyra’s fascination was a point of mockery, but the unicorn took it in stride, and while many ponies insisted she and Bon-Bon were a gay couple they were just extremely close friends.

“Speaking of that thing you’re building in the shed, are you willing to tell me more about why it allegedly nearly got Applejack killed?”

“I told you, Bonnie, the CMC tried building their own car, they crashed it in the Everfree, and when trying to salvage it for parts a Timberwolf attacked her. But this car, well…let’s just say when it’s done, you’ll make the fastest confection deliveries in all of Equestria!”

* * *

Big Mac, ever the stallion of small words and stoic expressions, was worried. Something was wrong with his little sister that much was obvious. She’d come home from town earlier today looking down about herself, enough of a character change that Big Mac had to ask what was wrong.

“Nuthin’,” AJ replied despondently before moving on towards the house.

Watching silently, Big Mac watched the light in her room go on and then off, indicating she’d gone to bed. But at this hour? This was _very_ unlike her. The sun was never above the horizon when AJ finally went to her bed, not as long as she’d been alive, not even when she was sick. Or was she sick?

The thought hit Big Mac like a falling anvil. It had been a silent agreement between himself and Granny to never reveal the truth as to why the Apple Family had a grandmother and three kids, but not the parents. As far as Applejack and Apple Bloom knew, along with the rest of the town, the parents had died from an extremely rare case of pneumonia during a freak magical storm. But the real cause of death was something Big Mac felt they never needed to know. He’d been told at the time and it had nearly destroyed him emotionally, and he could not let the same happen to his sisters.

But the last time an Apple Family member went to bed this early…Big Mac feared the worst. There was still time, though, so he had to act fast. Informing Granny and Apple Bloom of his intentions, the red stallion cut loose and turned a fifteen minute walk to town into a five minute gallop. He’d never run so hard in his life, but his family may be on the line and he couldn’t lose them to the same thing that claimed their parents.

Spike was shocked to find the knocking on the door was from Big Mac, who was also uncharacteristically out of breath. Before Spike could even ask what he was doing there, the mighty pony had one request to make of the dragon:

“Spike…Ah need…to send ah letter…to Canterlot!”


	3. Book1 Ch.3 A Questionable State of Mind

Chapter 3

Applejack had slept all night after she had gone to bed early, but right on schedule she woke up around the same time as Celestia’s sun overtook Luna’s night sky. But even for an early riser like her, she couldn’t help but feel a little more energetic, as if she needed to move. Shrugging it off with the rationale it was because of her lack of activity yesterday, she descended to the kitchen to join the rest of the family for breakfast. While talking never was something the Apples did at this time of day, Applejack couldn’t help but feel the atmosphere was significantly quieter than usual.

“Applejack, dear, are you okay?” asked Granny Smith, concerned about her middle grandchild as she trotted up to the table to sit down.

“Ah’m fine, Granny,” replied AJ, her emerald eyes shifting left and right, an involuntary body motion that confessed in meaning what the mare could not in words.

“Be honest with us, sis,” said Big Mac, “Rarity showed up some time after ya went ta bed to check up on ya. She mentioned somthin’ about ya loosin’ yer temper. Ya mind explaining that?

AJ gulped. It was a rare occurrence when Big Mac said more than ten words in one breath, much less multiple sentences. When he did, that meant he intended to get a message across or was dead serious on getting an answer. She figured it was the latter.

“Alright, fine, Ah admit it. Yesterday wasn’t mah brightest moment,” the now ashamed mare said, her fur turning slightly red as she looked down at the table. Worried for Applejack’s health, Granny decided to go plate up her breakfast to make sure she could still eat. AJ gave her a small smile when the plate of food was set before her before continuing, “Ah went ta go see Sandalwood at the Spa to settle this matter about the car thing the Crusaders built.” Apple Bloom noticeably rolled her eyes at the mention of the car. While her interest in pursuing further adventures with the machine was long gone, the fact it was still being brought up annoyed her. AJ glanced over at her younger sister before resuming her tale

“Ah’m not quite sure what happened, but Ah somehow ended up with mah hooves around Sandalwood’s neck and against the wall when Rarity happened to come in.” The rest of the family was, naturally, quite shocked at the idea the normally level headed pony could get so violent as the story progressed. “Come ta think of it, Ah can’t really remember what it was that Ah was originally gonna tell her before Ah lost it beyond it bein’ related to the car” finished Applejack, looking downcast at the memory.

It was Apple Bloom who spoke up next, “But sis, why did ya even need to talk to her? She may have given mah friends and I the idea to build that thing, but she didn’t make us do it.”

“Well…Ah believe Ah wanted to confront her about the whole thing ‘cause Ah needed ta blame somepony for all the trouble. That’s usually how things end up happening around here, it’s always somepony causin’ all the trouble.”

“But it’s not her fault that you were attacked by a-“ interjected Apple Bloom, only to catch herself right before mentioning what she believed to be a touchy subject. The sudden stiffening of both Big Mac and Granny Smith told Applejack they believed the same. Giving her family a smile, she told them “It’s alright, no need ta be all careful around that subject. Apple Bloom’s right, Sandalwood wasn’t responsible for what happened in the forest, Ah’m just trying to find a scapegoat. Hopefully, Rarity might help me find a way to make it up to her.”

Feeling that she was living up to her reputation of honesty about wanting to make amends for her own mistakes, Big Mac gave Applejack a smile and a simple nod of approval. The peace settled, the family resumed the usual routine of small talk around the table. But among it all, Applejack couldn’t help but feel something was off about the food today. As if it had too much apple in it. But that was ridiculous, she’d had apples for every home meal since she was a small filly and even back then she could eat as much as Big Mac was right now. Still, the feeling was enough that the orange mare decided she might get lunch in town, something not based in apples in any way. Yeah, it wasn’t that she didn’t like apples as much anymore, she just needed a little more variety.  
______________________________________________________________________________________  
“Angel, you’re _sure_ you haven’t been watching these movies without my permission?”

The white bunny, personal pet of Fluttershy, nodded his head vigorously.

His owner sighed as she looked at the crime scene. A recent new development in Equestrian technology was the condensing of movies onto a more portable form that could be played back on small boxes called “television sets” or something, Fluttershy couldn’t exactly remember. Princess Luna, still riding high on the novelty of the technological advances made in her thousand-year absence, thought the whole idea was fantastic and had multiple sets sent out to the bearers of the elements to share the glory that was moving black and white images. However, since the technology was still so new, very few movies existed on the new media form, known as “VHS tapes”. Right now, Fluttershy’s entire collection contained only three movies; _The Secret Life of Trees_ (documentary), _Flight School Musical_ (self-explanatory), and _Ponirambo: First Blood_ (violent action film). Fluttershy loved the first one, and secretly liked the songs of the second, but the only reason she even had the third one was because it came with the whole set-up and she wasn’t about to return part of a gift to the princess, truthfully the rather horrifying level of violence and profanity simply wasn’t her kind of film. The problem was that recently, she’d been finding _Ponirambo_ in the VHS player. Since she’d only tried to watch it one time and had put it back on the shelf after five minutes, she knew it wasn’t her putting the tape back in, and Angel was swearing up and down it wasn’t him, so she didn’t know what to think.

“Hmmm, maybe one of the other animals keeps putting it back in?” mused Fluttershy as she repackaged the tape and put it on a higher shelf than usual. Deciding it wasn’t really worth looking into, since while the movie may have been highly not-safe-for-watching in her opinion, it was still just a movie that couldn’t do any active harm, she walked away to go tend to the animals outside.

Once she was out the door, however, Angel let out a huge sigh of relief. Obviously, he actually had been the one who kept putting _Ponriambo_ back in the player, a process he’d figured out when Fluttershy had left in the middle of the night a month ago to go help her orange friend and didn’t return until the middle of the next day. Personally, he thought the documentary was boring as hell because the narrator kept saying “The Larch” over and over, and the musical nearly made him throw up, but it was different with _Ponirambo_. To him, the movie was an instant masterpiece. The title character, a muscle bound Pegasus who could pass as Snowflake’s brother, was a no-nonsense badass who fought a one-pony war against the oppressive powers of the Changeling Empire to free all of Equestria. Angel viewed him as a role model.

Of course, what Ponirambo could do that Angel couldn’t was reach the location Fluttershy had moved the tape to. He knew he couldn’t get at it without making some kind of stairway, and if he did then it would reveal he’d been lying. But then again, Angel had already seen the whole movie five times and could replay it in his head, so maybe the tape wasn’t even necessary.

Then an even more novel idea came to him; what if instead of just watching _Ponirambo_ and wishing to be like him, he could go be his own Ponirambo and have his own adventures? A grin emerged on the bunny’s face as the idea grew in appeal. He’d need to make his own costume and figure out how to give himself a five-O’clock shadow, but it could be done. And it would be better than anything the movie could do short of using changelings as bludgeoning weapons against other changelings.  
__________________________________________________________________________________________  
Having spent the early morning doing the usual chores around the farm, namely applebucking and livestock feeding, Applejack went to go talk to Rarity to see if the whole ordeal with Sandalwood could be fixed. After getting her overreaction off her chest to the family, she was in brighter spirits and was optimistic. Today was the day the whole car ordeal would be put behind her, they could finally scrap the infernal thing for parts, and she could get on with her life.

Having met Rarity at her home/business of Carousel Boutique, the fashionista was more than willing to set up a luncheon at a local restaurant and invite Sandalwood so the two ponies could settle things. Soon, Applejack found herself waiting at The Bannered Mare, a recently opened establishment that straddled the line between the typical tavern offerings and high class dining, while Rarity had gone off to fetch Sandalwood. While Applejack personally wouldn’t have minded the atmosphere of a pub in lieu of an outdoor dining experience, she was following Rarity’s read on this since she needed to make a good impression.

As soon as the approaching ponies came in view of Applejack, Sandalwood understandably blanched and slowed her pace.  
“Rarity, don’t tell me she’s the third guest at this little get-together,” Sandalwood said, starting to shuffle backwards slowly.  
Giving the earth pony a friendly smile, Rarity assured her “Trust me on this, Sandy, she’s one of the best ponies in this town. I do believe I told you why she got a little, _ahem_ , ‘physical’, with you last time, right?”

Sandalwood cautiously nodded. While she hadn’t suffered any lasting injuries from the previous day’s assault, she didn’t know what to expect from Applejack now.

Acknowledging the nod, Rarity continued; “Well, she’s informed me that she wants to apologize to you and make up for yesterday. You don’t need my word to trust her; she’s the Element of Honesty for a reason.”

As the duo approached, Applejack put on the best smile she could to convince Sandalwood she wasn’t in imminent danger. Sandalwood, in turn, gave a nervous smile right back. It was clear this was a situation nopony really wanted to be in.

After Rarity and Sandalwood had sat down, Applejack immediately tried to say something but was silenced by the other Earth pony. “I know what you’re going to say” spoke Sandalwood, “but I just want to let you know I understand why it happened.”

“Ya do?” asked a confused Applejack. Then it clicked and so she gave an annoyed look at Rarity, so gave her an embarrassed smile.

“I’m sorry, darling, but I felt it was only necessary she understand why or else we wouldn’t even be here right now, I’ll bet.”

“Look, Applejack,” interjected Sandalwood, “I think things just got off on the wrong hoof yesterday. You were still thinking about the safety of your sister and I admit I shouldn’t have told them about the car thing. Believe it or not, family is a big thing for me too, so don’t think I’m just saying what you want to hear.”

AJ couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that. Noticing the facial expression, Sandalwood sighed; “Let me guess, Pinkie told you about those ‘human fantasies’ where Rarity here is my real mom and I’m adopted by humans or some nonsense?” At that it was Rarity’s turn to react, with rolling her eyes while Applejack nodded, prompting Sandalwood to continue; “The truth is that, while yes, I do agree with Lyra that humans existed and I have an interest in them, I don’t have some deep seated hatred of my own family to the point I want to change species, and I don’t even know where whole ‘Rarity is my mom’ thing came from. Seriously, do we even _look_ related to you?”

“Ah can’t say that ya do,” answered Applejack. Sandalwood was about to go on again, apparently preparing to make a rant on how it was an undeserved reputation, but it was Applejack’s turn to apologize; “Ah get it, Pinkie got her facts wrong. Happens all the time. But when are ya gonna let me do the thing we’re all here for?”

“Oh, right, the apology thing, sorry”

“Anyways, Ah am truly sorry for what Ah did yesterday, there really isn’t an excuse for hurting you the way Ah did. Whatever got into me, Ah promise you it won’t happen again.”

For all her doubts, Sandalwood had to admit Rarity was right. She could tell Applejack was truly sorry, even after it had been said the spa pony didn’t blame the farmer for what happened. If there was one word Sandalwood would use to describe Applejack at that point , It would be “trust” without a doubt.

“Well, if you promise, then I guess I can let you off the hook,” said Sandalwood, the implied remaining animosity obviously nothing more than some dark humor on her part.

Rarity, not having to play the role of peacekeeper as she had secretly feared, was pleased the problem was resolved quickly. “Ah, here comes our waiter with the menus, I hope you ladies brought your appetites, I hear the food here is exquisite,” announced the unicorn. Indeed she was correct; the food was delicious. Applejack secretly happy that her own little issue with food seemed to be fulfilled by eating things not related to apples. Everything was going just fine.

Then came desert.

“I usually don’t have desert, even at the fanciest of restaurants” chatted the unicorn, “a lady must watch her shape, after all! However, I do feel I can afford to indulge myself. Either of you ponies find something you like on the desert menu?”  
“Enh, the tiramisu looks alright, but I think I could go for anything right now,” commented Sandalwood “What about you Applejack?”

But while it appeared to Rarity and Sandalwood that their friend was looking at the menu, she was in fact looking slightly above the top edge at something she didn’t realize she wanted more than anything. A few yards behind Sandalwood were none other than the Cakes, out for an afternoon stroll. What was drawing Applejack’s attention; however, were the Cake Twins: Pumpkin and Pound. So young, so full of baby fat, with supple limbs, and so weak and defenseless…

“Caaaaaaake…” droned the semi-hypnotized mare, drool starting to appear at the corners of her mouth as she looked hungrily at the infant ponies.

“Uh, you okay there AJ?” inquired Sandalwood, oblivious to where the mare was staring behind her.

Snapping back into reality, and secretly horrified at what she had just been imagining, it was a stroke of luck that the desert menu happened to have a triple chocolate mousse cake option.

“Ah, uh, sorry ‘bout that, it’s just that this chocolate cake thing looks so darn good!” stated the orange mare, managing to save herself from an awkward and possibly disturbing explanation.

“Actually, you’re right, that cake does look good. I think I’ll go with that too” added Sandalwood.

“Then I guess we’ll all have the triple chocolate mousse cake, then!” exclaimed Rarity, who flagged down the waiter. “If you would be so kind, sir, we’d each like a slice of the chocolate mousse, please.”

The cake was good, Applejack was at least thankful she didn’t choose something that was against her palette lest she try to fake enjoying it. But even after making amends with Sandalwood and heading back to the farm, Applejack just could not stop thinking about how she had legitimately entertained cannibalism as a desert option - with the Cake Twins, no less!

_There’s somethin’ seriously wrong with me, no doubt about it! Ah tomorrow Ah’m gonna see Twilight first thing in the mornin’!_

Her goals set, the disturbed mare did her best to put those horrible thoughts out of her mind as she set back to doing her farm work. It helped, but only sleep brought any sense of peace to her mind at the end of the day, and even then she was troubled by nightmares from which she only wanted escape.  
____________________________________________________________________________________________  
Big Mac was inert in the physical realm, but lucid in the plane of dreams. The letter he had sent through Spike had been most unusual, for it was a request for Princess Luna to meet with him in his dreams. While the story Scootaloo spoke of that involved Luna visiting her dreams during that camping trip she, her friends, and their sisters had taken to Winsome Falls was questionable, if it was true then help for Applejack could come faster than possible a few years ago.

Scootaloo’s story proved true, as he did not have to wait long. Appearing out of thin air, the Princess of the Night stepped forward to meet with the red stallion, as he had requested in his dreams. As per custom, he knelt before her in respect.  
“Thou are Big Macintosh, the one who requested my presence for a matter of most importance?” asked Luna. “I do hope this is actually important and not, y’know, you wanting to ravish me. You have no idea how often that happens.”

“Yer Highness,” said Big Mac as he stood back up, “believe me when Ah say that this here matter is of the utmost importance. Yah see, mah sister Applejack-“

“Yes, I am familiar with her.”

“Ah, well, she and her friends say she got attacked by some ‘wolf-thing’ in the Everfree, and while she seems to have recovered on the outside, Ah think she still needs help on the inside.”

Luna looked incredulously at the stallion, “Then shouldn’t she go to a doctor?”

“Not that kinda problem, yer highness. Ah don’t think conventional medical help can answer why she’s havin’ those nightmares. Ah can still hear her screamin’ about them from down the hall, and Ah’m asleep and here with you!”

The princess merely smiled, “Ah, so she just needs some help in her dreams? I think I can manage that, just let me take a look.” She then vanished, leaving Big Mac alone once again. As he, sadly, expected, Luna was almost immediately back in his head with a very different expression. One of horror, shock, and revulsion.

“By my sister’s beard, what is happening to her?!” exclaimed the Princess, “This is a matter most serious, but for the life of me I cannot fathom what is wrong beyond it being a very powerful dark magic!”

Now Big Mac was concerned, if the Princess of the Night didn’t know what was going on, then perhaps it was already too late for his sister. “Princess Luna, back when you and yer sister were still livin’ in those ruins in the Everfree Forest, were there any ‘special’ kinda wolves besides Timberwolves around in those days?”

Luna had to think for a moment. Even though those memories would be much more recent for her than for Celestia, one thousand years of isolation and sharing a body with Nightmare Moon does funny things to one’s memories. “Now that you mention it, there were some odd wolves that I saw lurking around in the surrounding forest, but always from a distance, never up close. Celestia tended to rebuff my questions about them, too, come to think of it,” her brow furrowing at another memory of being treated as a kid sister by Celestia in the old days. It hadn’t ended well for anypony.

Big Mac only frowned, but his true feelings remained hidden. He knew Celestia knew, after all she’d been present during the aftermath of what happened to his parents. Applejack and Apple Bloom wouldn’t remember, AJ was barely four and the youngest sister was only a foal, still at the hospital natal care area. He tended to avoid Celestia when he had to as a result, hence his absence from the Summer Sun Festival that the farm had catered. But if it was happening again, then there was no choice.

“Princess, could yah perhaps bring yer sister in here as well?”

At that question Luna had to take a step back. “Wha? Why do you want Celestia in here? I mean, I could bridge dreams since she’s asleep, but it would be far easier to-“

“No. Ah can’t really explain why, but if what Ah suspect is true, then none of us can be wastin’ time for comfort while Applejack…” He couldn’t finish the sentence, the mere thought that it was happening again was enough for him to start tearing up.

Deciding that Big Mac wouldn’t accept any alternatives, Luna vanished to go visit her sister’s dreams. It took a long time from Big Mac’s perspective, when it was really just five minutes in real time, but eventually both Luna and Celestia managed to both enter his mind.

“Hello, Big Macintosh,” greeted the sun alicorn.

“Yer highness,” he answered back, bowing once again but quickly getting back up, “Ah believe Ah don’t need to explain the situation.”

Luna, who at this point was getting a little miffed at being left in the dark about this, demanded ,“I have to disagree, somepony is going to tell me what’s going on in Applejack’s head or I’ll-“

“Luna!” The sun princess snapped at her sister. This was a rare occurrence after Luna’s return, but like Big Mac actually holding conversations longer than a minute, when it happened there was something serious going on. Her sister silenced, Celestia sighed before continuing; “I apologize for not letting you know sooner, but what we’re dealing with is no normal dark magic.” Turning to Big Mac, she asked in an annoyed tone “I also believe that when news of this incident was given to me that the assailant was a Timberwolf. That is no longer the case, is it?”

The stallion shook his head. “No, yer majesty, Ah don’t believe that was a timberwolf that hurt my sister. Ah…Ah think…” Once again he couldn’t finish the sentence, but now the waterworks were starting. Walking over to embrace the emotional pony with a wing, Celestia could only hope this didn’t end the same way it did for the Apples so long ago.

On the other hand, Luna’s eye was visibly twitching. She was trying so hard not to break out the Royal Canterlot Voice, namely because nopony was telling her what the buck was wrong with Applejack and so Luna could not do anything to help. What made it especially maddening is that Luna had undergone something similar, more or less, when she was corrupted into Nightmare Moon, and for one of the ponies who had saved her from that fate only to possibly befall it herself…

Her mouth opened and was about to let the RCV fly, when Celestia gave her a sad look that she not dare blast with vocal energy. “Luna…I think it’s time I told you about werewolves.”

**Author's Note:**

Big Mac sure is talkative all of a sudden, isn't he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm Planning on leaving all the original authors notes and as much of these stories as is. They've already been edited by people way better than me. Also Some formatting issues may appear. I can't transfer all the pretty page breaks but I'm doing my best.


	4. Book1 Ch.4 Dreams of Days Gone By

Chapter 4: “Dreams of Days Gone By”

“Werewolves,” asked the lunar monarch, “are you telling me they actually exist?” Her skepticism was understandable; she had not heard of such beasts until after she had returned from the moon. The only time she’d even heard the term was when she had asked Scootaloo what her costume was during that one Nightmare Night some time ago.

“I’m afraid so, Luna. I thought the last one of them had been destroyed about a decade ago, but if what is happening here is true then I fear _he_ may still be out there.”

“Sister, could you please stop dancing around the issue and tell me what I want to know so we can stop wasting time?”

“Right, sorry, it’s just that…you’ll understand once I’ve explained it.” A reassuring nod from Big Mac prompted Celestia to proceed with what had to be said; “It all started way back before you first took over the duty as matriarch of the night…”  
____________________________________________________________________________  
 _“No no no no no!” repeated a very irate Celestia to an upstart coronet, “We knowest not what thy betters saw in thee to put thee in such a lofty position within the guard, but even thou wilst see the folly in such a request!"_

_“But your majesty, doth thou not ken such benefits of a proposition?” asked the other pony. Sable Loam, a coronet of the Royal Equestrian Guard, was not a very approachable individual. A coat of dark brown and his mane a two-tone mix of almost black green colors, he’d been allowed to join the guard even though he didn’t really pass the candidate evaluation simply because his colors made for good camouflage; more so than a typical invisibility spell, his colors earned him a place as a military scout. But his cutie mark, a red wolf’s paw, was what really made him dangerous. His special talent was hunting. There was no game he couldn’t catch, no prey that could escape him. Some called him “the wolf in a pony’s coat,” and right now Celestia was sure that had gone to his head._

_“What, changing the standing force of able-bodied stallions into a force of vicious beasts? The guard does not exist for thou to live out thy delusions of being a true wolf, soldier, and it is Our belief that thy betters would know the same.”_

_“I would doubt as such. Thy claim to the throne is only superior because thou art blessed with both wings and horn. Thou hast yet to prove thyself as much a leader as thine mother, who preferred to rule by her tai-“_

“KNOW THY PLACE, SOLDIER!” _bellowed Celestia in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “Thy shall not speak ill of your former ruler and Our mother. Was it not she who reunited the scattered pony tribes of wing, horn, and earth back under one crown? Who turned Equestria from a loose confederation of races into the strong realm it is today? Who guaranteed all who live within its borders would find harmony while even now the rest of this world squabbles over petty trifles?”_

_Sable tried to come up with a response, but failed. All he could manage was a growl as he gritted his teeth, looking up at the princess he was forced to be ruled by. She did not understand. Her mother had been a good ruler, yes, but she had failed to implement the most essential policies that would have made Equestria into a true power, to dominate over all the other, inferior races save the wolf itself, for none could top the hunter. But what made the hunter strong was that it lived and died by the belief of only the strong surviving to see tomorrow. The former queen and now the current princess would not, could not, see past the foolish idea that all are born equal as well as refusing to recognize all life must earn the right to live from the moment of birth._ I must be the one to set things right _, thought Sable,_ this pretender to the throne must be remov-

_Unfortunately for Sable, one of the last things Celestia’s mother had taught her was to detect the tell-tale signs of somebody who wanted to cause her harm, to betray her, and Sable subconsciously was showing all of the warning signs._

_“Thou imaginest that We are a feeble ruler, that thee shall claim the throne by violence?” intoned the pink-maned princess. The startled reaction from the now-treasonous soldier brought a small smile to her face._ Thy will is known, to your misfortune, _thought the princess, before she decided to show off a little to put this peon back in line. Proceeding to stand to her full height, which was about half a head taller than the fully grown Sable even though she was but a child in alicorn lifespans. She unfurled her wings, her horn bursting into color as she intimidated the lesser pony into a cowling position before her. Boosted by the RCV, she boomed_ “Thy art but a pitiable foal! A hunter you may be, but the only joy you get from it is the feeling of power, of submitting the weak to your total control! But it is We who are hold potency, and thee weakness! Cease these ludicrous ideas of impressing your so called ‘ideals’ of the wolf upon both pony and the Crown, or We shall do it for you!”

_The radiant light ended as Celestia resumed her original sitting position, like nothing happened. Sable, reduced to a shriveling mess below her, cast an angry glare at her, as if actually daring her to carry out her words. But soon enough he simply stood up, glared at her, and then proceeded to exit through the stairs opposite the throne._  
 ________________________________________________________________________________  
“…I found out the next day that Sable Loam and about an entire centuria of ponies had all gone AWOL, as if in protest to my will. They would make their way up to the frozen north, where the renegade self-proclaimed “King” Sombra would recruit them, promising a chance to storm the Everfree and claim Equestria for themselves. To better ensure their loyalty, he gave them gifts only he could provide through his dark magic. Because they all in one way or another wanted to live like their perceived idol the wolf, Sombra ‘granted’ them with the ability to turn into a monstrous fusion of both wolf and pony. They were the first werewolves.”

Luna could only stand there in shock. This had all happened when she was but a filly, no, a yearling! She’d originally figured that because Celestia had been so young, their mother had set up some kind of stand-in rulership until she could rule properly. Celly had _never_ mentioned anything about having to fill the role of full leadership during her teenage years and while Luna did not doubt she was as able then as she still was now, the thought didn’t escape Luna that had she understood her sister more back then, then Nightmare Moon never would have come about. Still, that was in the past, but apparently not werewolves.

Big Mac, for his part, was as expressionless as usual after he’d wiped the tears away. Luna figured he’d heard this all before, since he seemed a great deal knowledgeable about the signs of Applejack’s condition to begin with.

Sensing her sister’s wish for her to continue, Celestia resumed her story. “As it would turn out, Sombra would never leave the north to threaten Equestria. He spent most of his time building up what we know today as the Crystal Empire. The werewolves served as his elite enforcers and overseers, their brutality and their fearsome, unnatural wolf forms keeping the enslaved crystal ponies working themselves to death. Eventually, you and I grew up and we declared war on the Empire to free the ponies, Sombra not really standing a chance against the Royal Guard with his stagnated armies. I don’t need to go into details about the immediate results, obviously, but even with that many soldiers I’m sure the majority of the werewolves got away, finally retreating back to their true homeland. However, some of them finally realized what Sombra had done to them, as they had become not ideal soldiers but monsters. In a cruel twist of fate, the forms they had wished to shed and to wear became reversed, the annoyance of having to turn back into a pony now having become the fear of becoming what they had once wanted.”

“How do you know all this, sister?” asked Luna, surprised at how in-depth Celestia was familiar with what should have been at best fleeting knowledge.

“Some of them came back to atone for being traitors. After seeing the…things…they had become, I had to pardon those who sought redemption on the spot, as their punishment would be the curse they themselves had brought upon themselves, forced to live isolated lives in the fear of hurting others in their transformed states. However, many of the surviving werewolves did not return, leading to the ancient legends of ponies who were cursed with having to become violent night stalkers, terrorizing towns across the nation.”

“Wasn’t there something about my moon being involved?” interrupted Luna, remembering the one detail about the whole thing that she suspected was totally wrong, “like, they only turn if the moon is full?”

Celestia chuckled, but it was a sad chuckle, traces of regrettable memories in it. “Well, Luna, it was around the first reports of isolated werewolf attacks that you had your, um, ‘incident,’ and became Nightmare Moon. The werewolves went unchecked as the nation suffered ponies who were taking up the cause of, oh, what was it you called your little revolution, the ‘New Lunar Republic’ or some silly nonsense like that. Anyway, I ended up inventing the whole ‘full moon’ connection to try and alienate your psychotic fanbase. I suspect many of the wolves joined up in your armies and would perish bearing your flag in that civil war that broke out, as reports of werewolf attacks pretty much disappeared once your thousand-year stay on the moon had begun.”

Big Mac suddenly spoke up, a look of terror on his face. “Ah ya saying that werewolves don’t need to wait fer the full moon to turn inta monsters?”

Celestia nodded. “I think they have to transform at least once a month, but otherwise it’s a completely voluntary process that can happen at any time, day or night. Unless the afflicted doesn’t know about their condition, or is mentally unstable, then they may not even have control over it. This, come to think of it, probably explains a lot of those attacks seemingly being random and sometimes even during the day, if I remember the reports correctly.”

Then Luna had to ask what was most likely the most heart-wrenching question possible. “Is there not a cure for this?”

Big Mac immediately turned his head away; he really just didn’t want to have to answer that. Celestia couldn’t help but pity him, after what happened with the Apple parents ten years ago and now one of his sisters, it had to be taking a toll on him. Luna merely kept quiet as she waited for an answer.

It was a tense silent moment before Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but to her surprise Big Mac suddenly turned back around, holding back the emotion as he sputtered out; “What ya do is…ya don’t get bit…’cause if…’cause if ya do…the only way out is…is ta die”.

At that point the mighty stallion, the one who had been holding up the family for so long, began to weep for the tragic secret he and Granny had kept away from the younger Apples for so long. Celestia trotted over and embraced the sobbing Big Mac, shedding a tear or two herself.

It didn’t need to be voiced, she already knew, but Luna needed confirmation from Celestia; “Sis…how long ago was the most ‘recent’ werewolf attack, before Applejack was hurt?”

Without turning to face her sister, still comforting Big Mac, spoke the truth; “Ten years ago. The first one in hundreds of years. I’d thought they’d all died out three hundred years after your banishment, but somehow the curse survived, going from host to host in an endless cycle. The victims were…Appleseed and Cornflower…” The mere mention of the names made Big Mac only cry harder into the side of his ruler, letting out all the emotion of not being able to properly mourn the loss and be honest with his siblings about how they would never truly know their parents. A knife in the back only driven in further when he’d learned his sister was the Element of Honesty, and all he could do was lie to her behind his stoic face.

Luna didn’t really want to ask, but she felt the need to know even more; “Oh…but, wait…was it the actual attack that killed them, or…”

“No. They survived the attack, but they had bite marks all over. I remember being so angry about it and not being able to do anything to save them from their fate, I tried to locate where this ancient horror had come from in the Everfree, and when I was sure I’d found the abomination I…removed the issue… by making a crater several acres wide with the biggest magic spell I had at my disposal. If I couldn’t save an innocent couple, then I was going to avenge them. But, even that doesn’t appear to have ended the curse…” The emotion buried in Celestia about the matter was concealed behind her motherly appearance, being strong for the stallion that had no choice but to be strong for so long.

But surprisingly, Luna brightened up a bit at that response. “Sister, what if there’s still hope? What if we can still save Applejack?”

“Luna, didn’t you hear? There _is_ no way to save her. Try to help her live a normal life now is the only-“

“What about the Elements of Harmony?”

That got Celestia’s attention. While the Elements had been useless after banishing Nightmare Moon, they were once again empowered with the spirits of six friends who embodied the virtues of Harmony. Furthermore, if they could cleanse Luna of the corruptive Nightmare Moon, who had taken over both Luna’s body and soul, then this werewolf thing which should only have been lingering dark magic wouldn’t stand a chance. She simply didn’t know for sure, but it was the best option in regards to Applejack’s continued well-being.

“Well then, I guess we have some work to do, don’t we Luna?” said Celestia, her spirits lifted as the outlook for Applejack improved in her head. “But that still leaves the question of what to do about the poor girl in the meantime.”

“Wh-what do ya mean, yer majesty? Ah thought that you just kept the elements in some box locked behind a magic door, that’s what AJ said after that whole Discord thing,” inquired Big Mac, also empowered by the prospect of saving his sister from the same grim fate as their parents.

Luna rolled her eyes. “Well, _after_ the whole ‘Discord thing’, Celly decided to put up tougher defenses so somepony powerful enough can’t just swipe them from right under her muzzle like last time” ending with a sly wink towards her elder sister, who just nickered in annoyance.

Celestia did have to admit that _maybe_ locking the elements in a triple lock box with an added magical seal, then tying it to a cord tied to racks upon racks of magically imbued crossbows inside the southernmost castle tower that, upon any interaction with not coming from Celestia or Twilight Sparkle, would set off the crossbows and blow up the whole tower, _might_ have been slightly overkill now that Discord was back in stone.

“Okay, so getting the elements out of my ultimate death trap might take a day or two…”  
Big Mac wasn’t happy to hear that; “Ya mean mah sister has to go through this pain for possibly two more days?!”

A sad look from Celestia was enough to show Big Mac she was just as unhappy about it as he was, “I’m sorry, Big Macintosh, I’ll try to get them out as fast as I can, but in the meantime it’s up to you to make sure she stays safe. Oh, and most importantly; _do not_ inform her or anypony else about what we have discussed here or plan to do until I let you know otherwise”

It was going to be a hard order to follow, while Big Mac was not the Element of Honesty himself, the Apples were known to be trustworthy, and they also had a keen sense of when others weren’t being as truthful. But as it was now both his duty as a brother and an order from his princess, Big Mac could not let anypony down now, “Ah will do mah best, yer highness, both as yer subject, and as Applejack’s bruther!”

Celestia gave the red pony a warm smile, “She’s a lucky pony to have you watching out for her, Big Mac. Keep her safe.” And with that, she and Luna disappeared from Big Mac’s dreams. The whole thing had seemed like it had taken an eternity, but in reality had just taken an hour.

That being said, Big Mac was still uneasy. He found himself waking up to the sound of…nothing. He could have sworn he could have heard his sister making all kinds of noises during the dream talk with the princesses, but now he heard nothing.

Taking slow, careful steps, the large pony walked towards the door at the end of the hall, taking care not to wake up Apple Bloom as he passed by her door. Somehow, she’d slept through the screaming, but then again she was just still a filly, and they slept like rocks. _Still_ , Big Mac thought _, better safe than sorry_.

At last, he reached the door, and mustering up all his courage, slowly pushed it open.  
His heart racing with every creak the door made, he couldn’t recall a time when he’d been more scared. But it wasn’t for the monster he thought might be in the room; it was for the monster who was also his beloved sister that was in the room. The door now open fully, Big Mac cringed at what he saw.

His sister was curled up in the blankets and turned away from the door. All he could see was a vague outline of her shape. _Well, at least she’s still shaped like a pony_ thought Big Mac, taking small pleasures where he could in the face of what might be under there. Creeping closer, he slowly extended a hoof to uncover the blankets and…

_No, Ah can’t do it. She needs the sleep, ‘an Ah don’t ‘ave an excuse for bein’ here. Oh, princesses, please let her be alright…_  
  
Although Big Mac would never know it, Applejack had finally settled down into sleep and for possibly the first time since her problems started was at peace. A fragile, temporary peace, but it was still something. Big Mac gave the sleeping form of his sister one last look before exiting and closing the door.

“Watcha dooin?”

Big Mac damn near jumped out of his skin before looking to find the source of the voice. Apple Bloom looked up at him.

_Okay_ , he thought _, maybe they_ don’t _sleep like rocks_. _Now how in the hay am I gonna explain this to the one other pony who doesn’t need to know the family history involving evil curses…_  
_____________________________________________________________________________  
“Luna, one more question before I’ll let you out of my head,” said Celestia, the two alicorns having spent some more discussion about the situation away from Big Macintosh, this time in a more attractive setting of the Haywood Tower Hotel penthouse balcony, as Celestia remembered it in her dreams.

“Shoot.”

“Why did you even answer that letter Big Mac sent you? Last I checked these things never end well since every other time the ponies have wanted to-“

“Yeah, I know, but I didn’t really have anything better to do, now did I sister?”

Celestia could only look at her sister slightly slack jawed, unable to come up with a logical comeback. Victorious, the younger of the pair got up and kissed the older on the cheek.  
“Now I actually have to do my job now, so have sweet dreams sister, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Princess Luna then turned and entered the elevator, which transported her directly to the dreamlands, leaving Celestia still trying to comprehend Luna’s reasoning.


	5. Book1 Ch.5 Monadology

Chapter 5: “Monadology”

  


It was a new day in Equestria as Celestia’s sun rose in the sky and Luna’s moon went below the horizon. Birds were chirping and the weather team had ensured there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a perfect day that the residents of Ponyville woke up to.

Applejack herself, despite the nightmares she’d been subjected to, woke up feeling just fine. She practically jumped out of bed as she quickly tidied up her hair and went to have breakfast with the family.

“Mornin’, everypony!” greeted her family as they gathered in the kitchen.

“Mornin’ Applejack. Did ya sleep alright last night?” Granny inquired. “You were a-howlin’ and a shoutin’ a lot, like you were havin’ some kinda horrific nightmare or somethin’.” Big Mac stiffened for a second at the mention of “nightmare” after his own dream experience, but nopony noticed.

“Can’t say that Ah did, Granny,” replied the puzzled pony. While Applejack was sure that she’d had some kinda dream last night, none of the details were coming to mind and she certainly didn’t remember having trouble sleeping. “If Ah was makin’ a racket, though, Ah hope it didn’t keep any of ya’ll up last night.”

The family talk broke down into trivial discussion at that point as Apple Bloom helped serve up the table. Topics of all sorts came and went: the price of corn seed, Apple Bloom’s school play that night, what record Rainbow Dash would try to break this week, etc. But hidden under the small talk was Applejack noticing that, despite what she had believed yesterday, eating a meal with no apples in it did not make this meal taste as good as she thought it should. In fact, it was slightly blander tasting than yesterday.   
  
_Definitely need to talk to Twilight today,_ Applejack reminded herself. _This can’t keep going on or else Ah may never recognize mahself at the end of this_.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
After breakfast, Applejack went back upstairs to the bathroom to begin the usual ritual of personal cleanliness: a quick shower to refresh one’s self, then brushing the teeth and finally fixing up the mane. _That’s what Rarity would think of this_ , thought Applejack while in the shower. The cascading water felt good on her as she soaped up and worked at her fur until it shone a brilliant orange. Normally AJ wouldn’t bother going the extra mile and just settled for clean, but she was going into town and her coat _did_ need a thorough scrubbing anyway.

Turning off the flow of water, the mare stepped out of the shower to towel off before proceeding to brush her teeth. That’s when she saw them. Normally, pony teeth were almost flush with each other on top, as while they were theoretically omnivores their biology and teeth structure suggested they were much more suited to a fully-vegetarian diet. But what Applejack noticed was that some of her forward teeth had slightly changed to be more fang like,. Running her hoof over one of them and judging it to be real, she was confused as to what that could mean. _Not like Ah don’t have enough issues at this point_ , thought Applejack as she proceeded to brush her teeth _, just one more thing to ask Twi_.

___________________________________________________________________________

“Hold on, hold on!” shouted an exasperated Twilight Sparkle as she dug through a massive pile of books marked “Twilight Sparkle’s Personal To-Read Pile”. Rainbow Dash had come in and asked for the latest book in the Daring Do series, having finished the last one at a rate almost rivaling Twilight herself.

_Well, if she’s the fastest in Equestria, I guess she wants it to apply to books as well_ _,_ mused the unicorn as she dug deeper into the mountain of paper and words she’d built. Finally, she found the book the impatient pegasus wanted so badly.

_“Yes!”_ exclaimed Rainbow as she flew over to help pull out her friend of the book fortress. Taking the book, she read off the title: “ _Daring Do and the Philosopher’s Legacy._ Interesting. I hope it’s better than the last one.”

Sparkle just rolled her eyes at the comment. The previous book, _Daring Do and the Crystal Saddle_ , had fallen well below the standard quality, and the rabid fangirl Rainbow Dash was still going on about it.

“I mean, come on! The “Turians” as some kind of forerunner race of aliens that created the early pony civilizations, what a joke! You agree with me, right Twilight?”

“Actually, I thought the ideas of challenging the notion our princesses are the most powerful beings on Earth was quite interesting. The execution, though? It...left much to be desired.”

Ever ready to argue -- or rather “discuss” it, to put it in Twilight Sparkle terms -- the finer points of the Daring Do universe, Rainbow was trying to come up with a reply when there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it!” shouted Spike, who found a strangely nervous Applejack on the other side.

“Hey, Twilight?” inquired the earth pony, “Ah need to talk to ya.”

“Oh, what about?” answered the lavender intellectual, always ready to help a friend.

“It’s…sorta about a private matter…”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, “Whoa there, you’re not saying that you’ve got the hots for Twilight, are you?” The pegasus was well aware of Applejack’s sexual orientation being as straight as a ruler’s edge, but the opportunity to rib her athletic rival was too good to pass up.

Applejack’s face immediately turned a shade of red-orange, the blush mixing with her natural coat, “Rainbow! Ya know Ah’m not like that! This is totally different. Ah think Ah need some psychological advice!”

At that the pegasus stopped snickering as her eyes went wide. She was not a fan of Twilight’s “psychological help” after the last time when the unicorn was convinced some minor argument between Dash and another pegasus named Cloud Kicker was born out of unresolved sexual tension due to a bloody catfight that somehow rendered Rainbow unable to have kids. To this day Rainbow didn’t know if the unicorn had been crazy or a genius with that blatantly incorrect statement, as it immediately killed the argument over a five-bit bet Rainbow technically still owed Cloudy. But the bottom line was that this was something to clearly stay out of.

“So, um, yeah…” began Rainbow, “this book is due back at the end of next month, right?”

“That’s correct. Also, don’t be late like you were two months ago, I had to raise late fees and even though you’re my friend I can’t exempt-“

_“Yeahthatsgreatnicetalkingtoyougottagookaythanksbye!”_ was all that Twilight heard as   
Rainbow Dash shot out of the library like a bat out of Tartarus before the librarian was even done talking.

“Huh, I wonder what that was all about?” Twilight mused before adding, “Oh, I know, she just wanted to give you some space since you said this is kind of private.”

“Uh, Ah guess so,” replied Applejack, amazed Twilight didn’t remember why Rainbow Dash had a problem with her psychotherapy. Frankly, Applejack didn’t trust it that much either, but it was better than-

“Actually, before we start, let me get some psychology books for reference!” Twilight suddenly said, diving back into the giant pile of books behind her.

_On second thought_ , Applejack mentally lamented, _maybe Ah_ should _have gone to somepony other than Twilight…_  
 _______________________________________________________________________________  
  
“Remind me again _why_ you thought this was a good idea, Celestia?”

“Well, at the time it _seemed_ like a good idea. I might have partied a little too hard in celebration of Discord’s re-imprisonment.”

“Are you saying that you actually consumed enough alcohol that it affected _your_ thinking?”

“That is not something you need to know, Luna.”

“Oh, are you going to now say that you’re also pregnant with some random subject’s foal and you don’t know who the father is?”

“Okay, I may have gotten a little drunk, but I’d think by now I’d be showing signs if I was pregnant because of that party, which I almost certainly am not! Plus, as the princess who has ruled over this land for over a thousand years I think I’m allowed to cut loose every century or so at least!”

“Oh, what _would_ the populace think if you actually did have a foal? Blueblood would be furious, especially since I bet he’s been after the throne for years.”

“You have no idea, sister. To be perfectly honest, having a foal just to make sure there’s another heir to the throne in order to aggravate him would be so worth the trouble. But then again, there’s Cadance for that.”

“But I thought that Twilight-“

“I told you Luna, she’s not ready for the book yet. Besides, she needs the Elements for that, and right now that’s our main concern.”

“Right. So, er, how are we getting out of this again?”

The two princesses had somehow managed to make a bad situation worse. The easy part was getting to the hanging box, and removing the locks once they’d secured it on solid ground. The hard part was removing it from the string without setting off the crossbows and blowing the tower to smithereens. Right now, they’d managed to stop the tower from getting blown up, but at the same time now had tethered crossbow lines tying them in a giant ball hanging off of the box containing the Elements.

“Hold on,” Celestia grunted, horn shining with a yellow aura. “Almost got it…there!”

There was a blinding flash of light, which seemed to linger for a few seconds. Then the princesses found themselves on the solid ledge where they’d started the misadventure three hours ago. The entire room had reset thanks to a failsafe spell Celestia had put in for just the occasion. She hadn’t planned on the whole set up being this hard to defuse, however.

“Time to try again, huh?” asked Luna, the hesitancy in her voice clear.

“We don’t have much of a choice. I guess this time we should-“ Celestia began, but was cut off by the door opening and a royal messenger appearing from behind it.

“Your majesties, the emissary from Draconia is here and waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Quick Wind,” said Celestia, giving him a warm smile that hid her current animosity towards her creation in the room. “Tell him Luna and I will be right down to see to him; we’re just finishing up our business here.”

“Yes, your highness,” replied Quick as he left. The moment he did, Celestia dropped the smile and facehoofed. She did not like the Draconian emissary, for he was a fat and pompous boor who thought he was better than ponies - especially the princesses, even though they controlled the orbit of the sun and moon and pretty much ensured the planet was still habitable for anything bigger than a cockroach.

“I wonder if I could negotiate with the dragons for the ability to kill their emissary. I doubt he would be missed,” mused Celestia.

“Then they’ll just send another exactly like him, if not worse. You know what the dragons think of us, sister.” Luna flatly replied.

Mock sighing, Celestia resigned herself to having to deal with politics instead of trying to prevent the potential outbreak of an evil curse which had formerly been sleeping for a thousand years. “I guess you’re right, Luna. We’ll try this again tomorrow. “

She turned to leave her deathtrap room, Luna following suit while asking, “By the way, Celly, is there more to Twilight supposedly being able to become a crown princess beyond her unrivaled magic ability?”

Celestia was about to reply with the true answer, but decided to have a little more fun with Luna instead. “Oh, yes,” she started, the tiniest bit of a grin starting to appear on her face, “she’s actually an extremely distant relative of the alicorn blood line, which is why she’s so powerful. Much more powerful than your daughter Trixie.”

“Oh, I guess that- _what_?!” Luna exclaimed, “You’re lying, I don’t have a daughter! I’ve been on the moon for a thousand years, how in the hay could I-“

Celestia was doing everything she could to not burst out laughing. This annoyed Luna. Slipping back into her old RCV dialect, she bellowed “Thou shall admit We do not have such a child! How could We even conceive of a foaling in a place where there are no males?! And furthermore, We would feel it would be Our duty as the younger princess to have Our elder sister meet such a suitable male that--”

The explanation having reached ludicrous levels, instead of answering, Celestia decided to just start running away, finally letting the floodgates of laughter spew from her mouth.

“Celestiaaaaaa!” cried out Luna as she gave chase. For all their years and differences, even now the royal sisters acted as little more than foals with the entire castle as their playground. Some would call it a blatant display of immaturity and that they were ill-suited to be co-rulers of the country. But in reality it was just two sisters having fun behind the scenes of the dreariness that was their political lives.  
______________________________________________________________________________

It was already getting late when Applejack finally managed to escape the mental asylum that was Golden Oaks Library. Although Twilight truly wanted to help Applejack, she had tended to stick to her books a little too much in trying to diagnose what was going on with her friend. As a result, countless hours had been wasted by Twilight conducting tests that generated completely useless results.

But what was worse is that another strange behavior had made itself known to Applejack during the whole ordeal. Twilight, being too engrossed in her books, hadn’t noticed, but Applejack was understandably disturbed when she discovered she’d been trying to use her hind legs to scratch like a dog. Sure, ponies did it sometimes, but not almost exclusively. She desperately needed help, but the problem was she didn’t know who to go talk to. Nopony would listen to her if she outright stated she was having cannibalistic thoughts, her teeth were physically changing, and now she was acting like a dog.

_Oh, hey, Screw Loose, guess what! There’s somebody who is just like you and she’s gonna be your new roommate! I’m sure you’ll be the best of friends!_ thought Applejack in a mocking impersonation of a psychiatric doctor. AJ meant no offense to the poor mare, but there was a difference between thinking you’re a dog and actually acting like one.

The various thoughts in Applejack’s head kept on going around and around as she desperately tried to fit the puzzle pieces together. But to her, it felt like every single piece was coming from a different puzzle, nothing was fitting together and no clear picture could be made. As Applejack was deeply embroiled in her thoughts, she absent mindedly took the wrong fork in the road and was heading towards a section of Ponyville she usually avoided.

The reason she tended to avoid that part of town was its main attraction: a restaurant called “The Meatery”. Even though Ponyville was still a small town compared to cities like Fillydelphia and Manehattan, its centralized location and close proximity to Canterlot on the rail lines made it a hotspot for other, visiting species to come and go through. In response to this open market of hungry carnivores, The Meatery opened up on the far side of town to cater to that underserved clientele. While half the menu was vegetarian fare in order to serve the majority of its customers, it was the famed "Pack Room,” the separate portion of the restaurant that catered to carnivores and omnivores, that won the restaurant accolades and sobriquets from far and wide, becoming a regional attraction in its own right. Applejack, who was for the most part a natural vegetarian like all ponies, had never visited the restaurant.

However, the fact she had now entered it didn’t seem to register, her mind already too preoccupied with her own problems. She also didn’t react to the greeter’s reaction when she wandered past him, seating herself in the nearest empty booth in the Pack Room, which was very sparse of any ponies inside it save for two; a pegasus who looked like a royal guard soldier on break and one of Luna’s night guards. There was also a griffon there as well, her highlights black and there was also this weird scar that she had. As the server left to go put in her order Applejack turned her head away from the odd trio to try and resume thinking about her own problems. Oddly, she couldn’t take her mind off of something Twilight had mentioned during the “tests” she’d been performing; something about a legend of mythical monsters she’d heard about. Werewolves, ponies who had been cursed by an evil force to take the form of a wolf-like monster during the full moon, whereupon they would terrorize the local settlements. The whole reason she’d brought it up is because the answer to what had bitten Applejack exactly was still up for debate, to which AJ was skeptical as Twilight had even said the last reported werewolf attack was over a century ago, and even that was theoretical.

She thanked the server who had brought her the burger she had ordered, although really her mind was trying to rationalize what was happening to her. She definitely knew her violent anger was a part of it, since she’d intended to talk to Sandalwood even before going into the woods but only after getting attacked at the car crash site did she harbor any feelings of violence and wow this burger was good and then there was the whole wanting to eat the Cake Twins thing which applejack still didn’t understand at all as it had no basis in anything and then while she took another bite of the delicious meat burger she pondered more about what was going on with her between the weird teeth growth and the dog scratching and the openly eating an incredibly amazing meat burger right now and-

The out of control train of thought in Applejack’s head came to a screeching halt as she replayed that last thought. _Openly eating a meat burger?_  
  
She looked down at the…thing…in her hooves. It was a BLT burger, one of The Meatery’s more famous options.

  


And it was half eaten.

By her.

 

She freaked.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
“Thank you so much, um…” Granny Smith started.

“Private Angel Beats, m’am!” replied the guardspony cheerfully.

“Ah, yes, thank you Miss Beats!”

“Only doing my duty, ma’am!”

The guardspony then turned around and trotted over to where the griffon and the other guardspony were waiting. It was thanks to them that the scene Applejack ended up making at The Meatery wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. While details were not provided, Granny had noticed the griffon still pulling out strands of spaghetti noodle from her feathers, although from that the old mare didn’t know what to make of what really happened with her granddaughter outside of it involving a hamburger of some sort she’d half-eaten without realizing it.

She watched the unusual trio go down the road, back towards the town where they were staying. When they were sufficiently out of sight she turned and headed back inside. Big Mac was waiting at the foot of the steps. He’d taken his sister upstairs and laid her in bed, where she clutched one of her pillows tightly as if her life depended on it. If there was any silver lining to what was going on, it was that Apple Bloom wasn’t present; she’d stayed at the school to help prepare the stage for the play. Nopony knew what her reaction would have been to seeing Applejack have to be carried on the back of a griffoness and then hauled on Big Mac’s back up to her room, the shock of having eaten actual meat still rendering the poor girl numb to the world around her.

“Ah really do not like the idea of leavin’ her alone up there,” said Granny. It was heartbreaking for her to see what had befallen her granddaughter after what had seemed like a miraculous survival from a grievous wound and after losing both her son and daughter-in-law ten years ago, she didn’t know if she could lose another family member so soon afterwards.

“Ah agree, but we gotta go to Bloomie’s play, y’know how much she’s been wantin’ us to see it,” replied the stallion. “Ah also think poor Applejack needs her space, whatever she’s goin’ through must be terribly personal, or else she would have come to us. Unless…”

“Don’t ya _dare_ say what Ah think yer gonna say!”

“Granny, let’s talk on the way to the play, but Ah think Applejack’s problems are much more serious than even you seem to think they are.”

___________________________________________________________________________

After Big Mac and Granny had left, the house was dead silent. For an hour all Applejack could do was lay in bed, tightly hugging the pillow to her chest as her brain tried in vain to process what could possibly be happening to her.

Her anger somehow turning into hair-trigger violence, the indescribable nightmares, the urge to eat younglings, her teeth somehow becoming more jagged overnight, the constant dog-like scratching, and now the _piece d’ resistance_ ; she had not only eaten half of a BLT burger, but she had _savored_ it.

_What’s happening to me?_ the confused mare thought. _Why am Ah acting so differently? Who am Ah becoming?_  
  
The moment it started she immediately regretted even thinking the question.

At first, it was just an itchy feeling on her back, easy enough to scratch. Except scratching it didn’t make the feeling go away. Instead, it got larger. And larger. Soon, she felt itchy all over and it was escalating from an annoying itch into actual pain. Panicking, Applejack started screaming into the pillow, trying to hug it tighter as if it would end the suffering, but it only got worse. As if her whole body was on fire from the inside.

Suddenly, the pain intensified in her head. “Oh, sweet Celestia!” the poor pony cried out as she moved to try and hold her head with her hooves. She started rolling around, eventually falling off the bed and onto the floor, but if there had been any pain from the falling it was masked by the pain her whole body was feeling.

“Ah’m…Ah’m burnin’! **AH’M BURNIN’!** ” wailed Applejack, the screams starting to turn into sobs as her own body turned against her. She knew nopony could hear her, the family was still at the school play, but that didn’t stop her desperate exclamations in the futile hope that they were home early and that they could do something.

The “rolling on the floor in pain” procedure lasted for another minute before Applejack ended up on her side, unable to control herself but the convulsions kept on going. Tears flowed freely from her eyes even as she kept them closed, trying to ride out this pain. _Wh-why?_ she desperately asked nopony in particular in her thoughts _. Why me?_  
  
As if in response, the pain suddenly lessened. Not gone completely, but just barely enough that she wasn’t appearing to have been electrocuted. But a strange half-pain, half…something feeling began to develop on her front hooves. She feared what was going on, but regardless she slowly opened her eyes.

Looking at her front hooves, she was horrified to see whatever process she was going through had only just started. Where the strange feeling was happening on her hooves, little nubs of flesh were rising. AJ couldn’t believe it; her hooves were turning into paws of some kind! She began to hyperventilate, her mind once again reeling at this new development as it tried to think of anything even remotely close to the situation at hand.

Then it was punished as the body-wide pain rose up again, sending Applejack into a new set of convulsions as she clamped her eyes shut again and screamed as loud as possible. She somehow felt her ears though the pain as they began to change, though she knew not what into. Her front…feet had apparently finished changing just in time for the same sensation to happen to her hind legs so she would end up with two matching pairs of disfigured hooves. All the while she kept on screaming and wailing to no avail, not noticing her sharp intakes of breath beginning to sound slightly raspier with each breath. For Applejack, the pain seemed to go on without end, her body being contorted into some monstrous shape for reasons she could not even begin to fathom.

And yet as quickly as it had started, it was finished. The entire process had in fact only taken five minutes, but even if Applejack had been thinking clearly enough to realize this it would have done little to cushion the maddening stew of feelings she was experiencing at the moment.

Panting heavily, Applejack eventually felt brave enough to try moving her limbs. Carefully, she began moving her limbs gingerly, lest any more movement start the whole parade of pain again. It was a slow process, but at last Applejack was standing on all four legs again. But was she the same Applejack?

There was a full body mirror propped up on the other end of the room, a gift from Rarity to try and encourage her farmer friend to be a little more sensible in appearance. Knowing that it was inevitable, Applejack began to move towards it. She immediately cringed as her new paws went up and down on the floor. It wasn’t pain; Thank Celestia, but the bottoms of her feet felt really strange, like she was walking on pads of some sort instead of the hard-bottom hooves she was accustomed to.

At last, she stood before a mirror, looking at the figure who stared straight back at her. She was a changed mare, alright. Her bright, emerald eyes looked the same for the most part, and she generally still resembled an equine, but now her profile looked more like a jagged outline instead of the well-built working pony she’d been only minutes ago. Her muzzle had extended slightly, becoming a bit more angular like a canine’s but still rounded enough to be reminiscent of what it used to be, her elongated canines now much more noticeable and remained visible even with her mouth closed. Her mane was a mess, blonde hair wildly ruffled up and the tie on her ponytail partially obscured by all the growth. Her actual tail was the same story. The ears on her head had become more pointed and slightly higher up on her head. Her fur had grown thicker as well, at least by maybe an inch, her beloved cutie mark of three apples now looking like three red, blurry dots, their defined shape lost in her now bushy coat.

But as she looked down at the new ends of her limbs, the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place. What had once been hooves had now become unmistakably canine paws, padded on the bottom with small claws at the end of the toes.

Looking back at the reflection in the mirror again, she mouthed the answer that explained everything.

  


_Ah’m a werewolf_.

She fell back to sit on her haunches, the revelation echoing through her head. Was she even still who she thought she was; Applejack, middle child of the Apple Family, the Element of Honesty, the simple farm mare? The thing that looked back at her through the mirror looked like Applejack, but only just.

Her gaze slowly turned right, and then focused on what was Applejack’s greatest treasure, short of her family and friends. Her trusty old Stetson cowboy hat, hanging in its usual spot on the rack next to the door. It had originally been her father’s before he passed away, she’d inherited it after her misadventures in Manehattan led her back home to the farm, where her family and cutie mark awaited her. She never left home without it, her one remaining connection to her parents.

Getting up, she walked over to the stand and placed the family heirloom on her head. Then, moving once again in front of the mirror, she confronted her new form. For the first time that night, she smiled, for now it was Applejack who smiled back. Fuzzier, more canine-like Applejack, but the combination of colors and hat confirmed it was still the same mare underneath.

One would think that in this situation, after having a crisis of identity just after a horrific transformation into something completely unnatural, the affected would start wondering many things like “Is this permanent or not?”, “How will I break the news to my family and friends?” or even “Am I going to have to worry about fleas now?”

But for Applejack, a werewolf having just gone through her first transformation, only one thing came to her mind in terms of what she should do next: _Ah really want to go runnin’!_  
___________________________________________________________________________  
“Applejack, we’re hooooome!” shouted Apple Bloom, preceding her brother and grandmother into the house. The play had gone off without a hitch, namely because the CMC had been given bit parts that didn’t actually involve much acting such as a talking tree.

“Ah’m gonna go check on ‘er” said Big Mac, proceeding up the steps. There wasn’t any screaming, no moaning, no anything in the upstairs hallway. However, the stallion could only pray that the worst had not happened.

Reaching the door, he knocked, “Applejack, are ya in there? We’re home.”

No response.

“Applejack? Hello?”

No response.

_Maybe she’s just sleeping_ , he thought, as he opened the door. Had he been a mare he most likely would have screamed at that point, because what he found chilled him far deeper than just to the bone. Applejack was not in her room at all, neither was the Stetson. Instead, there was a rumpled bed with a slightly ripped up pillow, a few strands of fur and mane hair that looked similar to the mare’s colors, and the window on the far wall had been left open.

_No…_ Big Mac internally mourned. It was too late, he knew there was no way it was going to happen faster than he’d expected from his previous experience with werewolves, but he now felt completely and utterly like a failure.

“Big Mac! Is everythin’ okay up there?” hollered Granny at the foot of the stairs. Big Mac didn’t respond, his mind having gone into shock. Not having heard from her one grandson, she ascended the stairs to make sure he was alright. “Did ya hear me, Ah said is everythin-“

Seeing her grandson looking into Applejack’s room with an expression of total devastation, she understood what had happened. She too knew of the real fate of her son and daughter-in-law, and many a time had she mourned them, but she’d expressed skepticism when Big Mac secretly told her of his suspicions that the same fate now awaited Applejack. Celestia herself had destroyed the vile beast, how could it have survived. And yet, as she walked over to see the room for herself, she concluded it was the only answer.

“Big Mac, close this door. Apple Bloom can’t know the fate of her sister. This path we are stuck on will be tragic enough, that filly doesn’t need to join us on it”

Nodding, he drew the door shut, both he and Granny wordlessly walking away. As far as Apple Bloom was told, her sister was sleeping and should not be disturbed. But if Applejack wasn’t back in her room by breakfast tomorrow, how would her absence be explained? It was a question both Big Mac and Granny desperately wanted an answer too, but knew no way of providing it.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Applejack hadn’t felt this good in a long, long time. Normally, she was already extremely athletic even for a young mare of her size. Years of working on the farm and rodeo competitions had conditioned her to top physical condition. But in her hybridized form, she could go even faster, and she was enjoying every second of it.

_Maybe Ah could even beat Rainbow like this_ , the lycanthrope wondered as her legs propelled her further and further into the heart of the Everfree Forest. She couldn’t believe that a little over a month ago that she’d been scared stiff to come into these woods at night, now that she was rushing through the trees she didn’t have a care in the world, except maybe avoiding Poison Joke. That should always be a priority.

Having lost track of time, Applejack found herself at a location she didn’t think she’d ever return to. Standing at the far end of the chasm, on the other side lay the ruins of Castle Everfree; Where she and her friends fulfilled destiny by restoring Luna and repowering the Elements. Her mind still high on adrenaline, AJ ran across the rickety bridge and into the castle, only slowing just slightly to take a turn up another flight of stairs.

Eventually, she reached the top of the eastern tower battlement, the highest point still standing of the once great fortress. Letting her new wolfish side take control, she inhaled a deep breath before letting out a very non ponylike sound: **“AH-WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”**

She howled up at the moon, which coincidentally was in the full moon phase. As the transformed pony stood on the battlement, the adrenaline began to subside and her thoughts became earthbound once more. _Ah’ll need to keep the whole carnivore thing in check_ , thought AJ _, but If Ah can keep mahself in control this whole werewolf thing may not be so bad…_  
  
Sure, there were some glaring problems if she was to continue living with being a werewolf. Her family would need to know, and friends, since it would be futile to hide this secret from them. She also would want to know what exactly attacked her that night, which she figured was what turned her into this, as while it would most likely work out for Applejack in the long run, nopony else should have to be turned into a werepony. Applejack even admitted to herself that given the choice she wouldn’t want to live like this forever, but she had to make do. After all, if what little she knew about this condition was true, it was incurable _. But that doesn’t mean Ah can’t enjoy the benefits, either_ , thought the mare as she looked out upon the Everfree, pondering the positive aspects of her new abilities.

______________________________________________________________________________

Luna stood upon the balcony just outside her personal quarters, angrily gazing in the sky as her horn burned a beautiful indigo hue. One of the constellations had gotten out of line and was being…difficult…to fix.

Then out of nowhere she heard the unmistakable howl of a wolf, which jolted Luna and caused the constellation she was fixing to explode into morse code that spelled out a very dirty expletive. But Luna paid no attention to her night as she rushed to the railing, trying to pinpoint the noise. The howl did not sound again, but after doing the calculations in her head the night princess figured it had echoed off of the mountains and had come from somewhere in the Everfree. It had also sounded suspiciously simil-

_Oh, no_.

That was when Celestia teleported in, still wearing a sleeping mask and PJ’s covered in suns with smiley faces. Her expression matched Luna’s as they wordlessly came to the conclusion that something terrible had happened.

“We need the Elements. _Now!_ ” Luna cried to her counterpart. Celestia found herself only able to nod, before teleporting both her and Luna to the southern tower. There the Elements remained, bait for Celestia’s madcap answer to Discord one-upping her that one time.

“Luna, remind me once Applejack is back to normal, I’m leaving these damn things in Twilight Sparkle’s care the next time I see her!”

_____________________________________________________________________________

About three miles from Castle Everfree, Applejack’s howling stirred another from his slumber. Ordinarily such a disturbance would immediately call for their wrath upon the offender, but instead the sound only brought a wide, evil smile to a shrouded face.

“Soon, little one…soon, you will belong to me, and give me all that I want from this wretched world!” stated the dark figure through wicked lips, looking out in the direction of the noise. It had taken over a month, but the plan was finally making some progress. It would take longer for it to reach completion, naturally, as the pieces needed to be set in their final positions, but if there was one thing above all else that had been accounted for, it was patience. Satisfied, the individual settled back down to sleep, for there was much to be done in the morning. Much to be done indeed.


	6. Book1 Ch.6 Lies

Chapter 6: Lies

It was a peaceful night, aside from some mysterious howling going on from the Everfree Forest, but for the residents of Canterlot it was not enough to awaken them from their slumber. However, in the very early hours of the morning, long after the howling had stopped, the residents of the mountainside capital were rocked as a huge explosion shook the foundations of Canterlot. Those who immediately rushed out of their homes to investigate the manner were horrified to find that there was smoke billowing from where the southernmost spire of the castle had once stood. Was the city under attack? Were the Changelings returning to get revenge after the failure of their last invasion?

“Everypony, please calm down and return to your homes!” cried out some royal guardponies, a mix between the day and night guards, who were filtering through the streets with all due haste. “There is nothing to worry about, the city is not under attack! It’s only just a training accident! Everypony in the castle, including the princesses, are safe and sound!”

Naturally, the majority of the populace were still worried, but if the guards were saying it was just an accident, then what else could they do besides listen to them and return to sleep? Slowly, the streets of Canterlot emptied as ponies entered their beds once more to try and find comfort in the blankets and pillows.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Meanwhile, at Ground Zero, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood on what was left of the platform that had once been under Celestia’s infernal trap. They were partially covered in dust which had formerly been ancient masonry work, their coats were singed all over, and Celestia’s pajamas were a total loss. Gripped in her yellow magic was the box containing the Elements of Harmony, finally separated from the devious crossbow-launching cord that had plagued the sisters only hours ago.

“Why did you even set the tower to explode?” coughed Luna.

“Because I figured that if anypony could get this far into the castle to steal the Elements, they would have to have been very powerful and only an explosion of that magnitude would have stopped them,” answered Celestia. “Plus, I never really liked this tower, it was pretty ugly and even if I hadn’t blown it up just now I would have had it replaced eventually. You _did_ say you wanted an observatory, didn’t you, Luna?”

“Why do I get the feeling that even though you’re being accommodating to me, that’s just an excuse to give up on your own trap and scare those stuck-up nobles by blowing up part of the castle just for fun?”

Celestia nuzzled her little sister. “You know me too well, Luna. Now, I need to go clean up so it doesn’t look like I’m dying of a plague and then raise the sun, so if you could get the box open that would be great.”

“Yes, because who knows what would happen if the stuck-up Canterlot elite thought you’d suddenly turned into a black-spotted pinto alicorn?” Luna smirked.

“It would totally be worth it just to see their faces!” laughed Celestia as she teleported back to her private quarters. Luna did the same, Elements box in tow, before setting it down on a table and getting to work on the three locks. It was an unusual set of locks, as instead of keys they had to be unlocked through the turning of dials to spell out words. She had no clues, but from the size the words had to be Luna immediately tried a familiar phrase and got the box open on the first go.

“Heh. ‘Silly nonsense’ indeed, Celly,” Luna chuckled as she looked at the gleaming artifacts within the box. The password to open the box had been “NEW-LUNAR-REPUBLIC.”  
______________________________________________________________________________

Somehow, even after running almost non-stop from the farm to the castle in the heart of the Everfree Forest, and then again back home before leaping through her open window into the bedroom where it had all began, Applejack woke up feeling rather energized.

She got out of bed and stood in front of the mirror. Although she couldn’t remember doing anything other than collapsing on her bed upon her return, now her body was once again in its original, familiar pony shape. No overgrown mane or fur coat, no paws instead of hooves, those sharp teeth were gone, and her cutie mark was once again a well-defined trio of apples colored bright red. Anypony who looked at her right now would have said she didn’t seem at all different from what a pony mare should look like.

_Hopefully_ , she thought _, it’s gonna stay like this, ‘cause tryin’ to hide paws would be very difficult_.

  


“Big Mac? Granny? Is somethin’ wrong? Where’s Apple Bloom?” asked the confused mare, taking her seat.

“Apple Bloom is over at the Carousel Boutique with Rarity and Sweetie Belle. We sent her there because she doesn’t need to be involved in this,” Granny answered, before turning to face her middle grandchild with a concerned look, “Applejack…we need to talk. You’ve been acting all strange like for a few days now, the latest bein’ not only somehow eatin’ half a meat burger without even realizin’ it but you also go missin’ from your room last night? As your family, we’re concerned about what’s happenin’ to you, and we want to help you, but there’s nothin’ we can do if you don’t tell us.”

Big Mac simply nodded with an “Eeyup.” While it wasn’t a case of words flowing out of his mouth, it was still clear to Applejack he was dead serious about this, both he and Granny wanting to know the reason for her recent actions. But she couldn’t tell them, not yet, she was still unsure about how to break the news to them that she was now a werewolf. But she had to say something.

“Ah…Well, Ah…” she started, the other two ponies leaning in to hear better, “Ah’m sorry, but what’s goin on with me…it’s a private matter. Like, real private, so private that Ah can’t tell you. Not yet. Don’t get me wrong, Ah wish Ah could, especially to ya’ll since Ah know the family is willin’ to help with just about anythin’, but this just isn’t the time.”

Somehow, Granny’s age decided to make her mind play connect the wrong dots and make an incorrect assumption when she asked, “What, are you tryin’ to say you’re pregnant?”

Applejack’s pupils shrunk into a very small size as she reeled in shock, “What?! Land sakes, no! _Ah am not_ carryin’ a foal inside of me, Ah can assure you of that right now! Heck, Ah don’t even have anypony Ah’m interested in makin’ mah special somepony right now, so what in Equestria makes you think Ah’ve been seeing somepony so intimately and behind your back?!”

Granny shrugged. “Well, Ah don’t know, just seemed like somethin’ a young mare like yourself would want to keep secret.”

Applejack sighed. “Look, Ah know ya’ll want to help, but Ah really just want to keep this private. We’re a close family and Ah always am open with just about evertythin’ with you, so Ah’d honestly appreciate it if Ah could just deal with this thing by mahself.”

Big Mac, always the silent observer, didn’t know what to do. He, along with Granny, were almost certain at this point of Applejack’s lycanthropy, but Celestia had warned him (and him to Granny, by extension) about the potential risk of destabilizing somepony who didn’t know they were a werewolf by informing them as such, and although there was a small amount of evidence it wasn’t nearly enough to force Applejack into confessing about being a werewolf if she was already aware of it. With a long term plan needing to still be developed, Big Mac had no choice but to let his sister “deal with this thing by herself.” But whatever this problem of hers was, lycanthropy or not, it was still cause for concern and he had to make sure the family knew what was going on at this point. “Now, you do promise that you will tell us what’s going on with you, but only when you feel comfortable doin’ so, right?”

“Of course! Ah really don’t like keepin’ ya’ll in the dark, but Ah’m a grown mare and Ah feel like this is somethin’ Ah have to deal with alone,” replied Applejack. If there was any bit of her lying, she’d gotten significantly better about not showing it, Big Mac noted. Plus, as the Element of Honesty and an Apple Family member, truthfulness was pretty much the definition of her essence, so there was no choice but to accept AJ on her word that she’d deal with this her own way and talk about it later.

Granny, forced to the same conclusion, agreed and got up to get started on breakfast. As for Applejack, she was amazed that she’d been able to talk her way out of explaining about how unpony like she’d been last night. She had been honest in promising to reveal her secrets later on, but only when she’d gotten more comfortable with her condition. Now the only question was if she could hide it from her friends until that point as well. But that was a problem to worry about later. The current problem was having her fill of breakfast (which thankfully wasn’t as apple-heavy as usual) and getting ready for a hard day of applebucking, as the southern field was ready for harvesting.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Over in Sugarcube Corner, business was rather light. This was expected, as there was usually a lull in customers after the morning pastry rush. At the moment, Pinkie Pie was busy moving around trays with various amounts of baked sugary goodness on top of them, making way for more to be put in. She was busy trying to walk around behind the counter while carrying two trays of unsold breakfast stock when Pound Cake came running in, his sister Pumpkin chasing after him. As if communicating through a strange, shared consciousness, the twins ended up chasing each other right towards Pinkie. They liked seeing things fall on her head, especially if it was baked goods related, and right now they thought she was setting up to dump a lot of that kind of stuff on her head.

“Hey, what are you- _whoa_!” exclaimed Pinkie as the twins rushed her legs, attempting to make her fall. Unfortunately, Pinkie knew how to respond to this, and so tossed the trays into the air with the food still on them. Then, she somehow magically appeared in the right spot away from the twins to catch the trays, food unharmed, and slotted the trays into the display below in one swift motion. “Sorry, babies, but Pinkie’s got work to do! I’ll play with you later!”

Nodding in understanding, despite being babies who barely could even talk, the dangerous duo started their chase anew but this time into the kitchen - with their father, Carrot Cake, as the target. Pinkie could hear him go “Whoa!” in there before his surprise was followed by a sound composed of clattering pans and three layers of cake impacting an unfortunate baker pony’s face.

“Honeybuns, are you alright?!” came the worried call from the fallen stallion’s wife Cup Cake, rushing from the stairs and into the kitchen to provide assistance. All Pinkie did was knowingly smile and go back to pastry organization. The twins would be in trouble, but they wouldn’t get that much flak for their antics. After all, they were just infants who didn’t know any better and just wanted somebody to play with.

She’d just combined a tray of strawberry scones and almond cake and put it in the runners when her trademarked “Pinkie Sense” (Pat. Pend.) flared up. She began to shake all over, as if getting the shivers despite the temperature being nowhere near cold. _Uh oh!_ thought Pinkie, _There’s a doozy coming about, and judging by the intensity of my Pinkie sense it’s going to be potentially world-shattering!_ However, when the shuttering stopped, Pinkie just shook her head to clear her mind and then went right back to work, not worried about the potential of something coming that could possibly destroy life as she knew it.  
_____________________________________________________________________________

It was already past lunchtime when the princesses, opting to go by the traditional method of guard-pulled chariots instead of just teleporting, were in view of Ponyville.

“I guess you never learned the fate of that Sable Loam character, did you sister?” Asked Luna.

Celestia sighed, “In retrospect, Sable Loam was probably one of my biggest mistakes that I made during those first years on the throne after mother passed. I thought he was just an over promoted upstart who wouldn’t dare risk his position in the guard simply to peruse some crazed obsession, so I let him leave in the hopes he would just cool off and abandon his concept of ponies-turned-wolves. He and his followers were long gone when I learned of their abandonment the next day, they could have been anywhere in the country by then, and since they weren’t causing trouble in any settlements, I paid them no attention as I was too busy proving to the nobles of my ability to rule over the country just as well as mother had. But to answer your question Luna; no, he disappeared after Sombra’s fall. I personally examined all the werewolves whose bodies were taken from the battlefields in secret so I could be sure he was dead, but instead of finding him and that red paw cutie mark of his, all I saw were horribly altered forms that had once been ponies, corrupted not only by Sombra’s magic but also Sable Loam’s insane lupine ideology. Ever since the last of the known werewolves who had been under Sombra’s command was laid to rest in the ground, I’ve hoped Sable ended up perishing in some way that disposed of his remains so he couldn’t trouble my little ponies anymore. But even if he did die hundreds of years ago, his legacy lives on somehow through some poor, tortured soul who has become a host to his love of wolves much in the same way you were a host to Nightmare Moon.”

At the mention of the dark entity that had nearly destroyed Equestria and forced Celestia to become estranged from her for a millennium, Luna couldn’t help but involuntarily shudder. She’d been young then, it had been all too easy for that influence to prey upon her, to steal her form and powers for evil intentions. However, where Nightmare Moon could only feed off of jealousy and hatred generated from her host, what Celestia had described about werewolves sounded a whole lot worse. Perfectly innocent ponies could contract the curse, which apparently was scientifically named “lycanthropy” some few centuries ago, and while the victims could continue being their true selves, they played host to an incredibly violent monster who savagely attacked its enemies and in some reports even ate infant ponies. In comparison, Nightmare Moon was an antagonistic political rival as she at least had standards about being violent and secretly had been quite a fan of vegetarian cuisine. But Applejack was potentially a “lycanthrope” now, so just thinking about how the kind hearted and trustworthy farm pony could be turned into a bloody predator of innocent ponies…Luna shuddered again. As the chariots drew closer to Ponyville, the dusky princess really hoped Applejack wasn’t actually afflicted with something that horrible, or if she was that the Elements could remove it and stop another living nightmare’s resurrection before it was too late.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Apples fell from the sky, only to land in baskets set below. Tree by tree, the landscape was slowly drained of the red and bright green dots as the industrious farm pony carried out her work. Elsewhere, Big Mac was doing the same while Granny worked on sorting the good apples from the bad in the pile of apples already harvested. Apple Bloom was still absent, having gone “crusading” with her co-conspirators after school let out, but not without first getting a hug from her big sister to make sure she was alright.

The simple, repetitive work that came to symbolize Applejack’s purpose in life, as represented by her cutie mark, allowed her to keep her mind clear. Free of the troubling thoughts that had plagued her recently, the fact she could once again just focus on kicking the crap out of trees until they cried red, round tears made her happy. Sure, life would never be as simple for her anymore, what with being secretly a werewolf, but if she could keep living her life the same way as she always had, it was nothing more than a mere complication.

As she loaded up the barrels into her cart, full enough to be offloaded at the barn, it occurred to Applejack she knew very little about her condition. Sure, she got a lot more dog like in her new alternate form, she had a desire for meat that had taken away some of the appeal apples once held for her taste buds, and it was incurable, but that was about it. _Maybe Twilight has some books on werewolves_ , thought Applejack as she hauled the family crop away, _gonna need to be careful enough to not give mahself away, but it wouldn’t hurt to know a little more about it. Ah’l probably stop by the library again after we’re done here in the fields._  
  
She would soon discover her trip to the library would occur much sooner than that. The apples had been unloaded and the orange mare was about to leave to go abuse more trees when she recognized a familiar rainbow moving towards her. Sure enough, it was Rainbow Dash.

“Howdy, Rainbow!” Applejack greeted cheerfully.

“Hey, AJ! I know you’re doing farm work and all, but the princesses just arrived five minutes ago at Twilight’s place and they want all of us to go there. Something about the Elements not functioning right, I dunno.”

“The Elements _and_ the princesses? Gosh, this must be serious. How soon do Ah need to be there?”

“They said as soon as possible, but I’d put an emphasis on soon if you catch my drift.”

“Ah do, let me tell Granny and Big Mac what’s goin’ on first.”

With her family informed, Applejack took off towards town, Rainbow taking a detour over in the direction to Fluttershy’s house, no doubt to deliver the same message.

_Ah hope this isn’t another major problem like Discord or Twilight havin’ gone insane again_ , thought the apple farmer as she galloped down the road, not noticing that her running style was more like a wolf chasing after prey instead of a running equine.  
______________________________________________________________________________

When Applejack arrived at the treehouse, she found Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, and the princesses already there. Several guards were also hanging around outside, supposedly providing protection but without an actual threat they were kind of unnecessary at the moment.

“What’s the problem?” inquired Applejack as she entered the tree library.

“It is a matter that we’d rather not discuss until everypony is here,” replied Celestia, with a nod from Luna to confirm. They didn’t have to wait long, as a few minutes later the winged third of the Elements entered the door.

“I…I heard there was an emergency, so I came as quickly as I could,” spoke Fluttershy in a volume somewhere between a whisper and normal conversation levels.

With all the ponies gathered, Celestia gave a nod to Twilight, who along with Spike proceeded to cover all the windows and lock the doors before the elder princess addressed the gathered ponies, “While it isn’t an emergency, it could develop into one. You see, there was recently an attempt to steal the Elements from the castle, luckily my elaborate and brilliantly designed trap stopped whoever it was but not before they had somehow opened the box with the Elements in it. Although my trap also ended up blowing up both the would-be-thief and the southern castle tower to Tartarus, so we don’t know what his intentions were.” Looking away, Luna rolled her eyes and shook her head disbelievingly, since Celestia had no reason to lie about what had happened beyond trying to look not guilty about blowing up her own tower in frustration to being defeated by her own trap multiple times.

“So wait, if the Elements are still safe, then why did you need to gather us?” Rarity, who up until that point had been absent-mindedly filing her hooves, asked.

“While the intruder did not steal the Elements, he did manage to break through my defenses and could have potentially done something to them to affect them in some way. Maybe to remove a threat to unleashing yet another evil being I locked away 1000 years ago, although I think Sombra was the last from that time period. Regardless, Luna and I have gathered you here just to make sure the Elements are still functional.”

“Oh, well, that doesn’t sound too bad.” Fluttershy, who had assumed something much worse was going on, such as a giant slug with a skull face and a sawblade hat having come to suck the energy out of the whole planet.

“Well, if that’s what we’re here for, then what are we waiting for?” asked Twilight, opening the chest and telepathically putting the Elements on her friends while setting the Element of Magic on her head like a princess’s crown.

As if silently commanded by their bearers, the Elements began to glow as they had twice before in their recent uses against Nightmare Moon and Discord. After gradually reaching a brightness level just below the point of the bearers and princesses having to squint, suddenly rainbows shot out of them, creating a latticework of color as each Element connected to another. All those present marveled at the beauty, while the guards and half the town wondered what the hell was going on outside due to Golden Oaks shining as bright as the sun from their perspective.

This lasted for a few minutes before the rainbows faded and the Elements returned to their inert states. No words were spoken for a while until Rainbow, ever the impatient one, had to ask, “So…mission accomplished? These things look like they still work to me.” The other bearers were in agreement…except Applejack who suspected something was up.

“Alight, princesses, what is the real reason you’re here?”

Deciding not to bother making something up to the Element of Honesty, Celestia decided to cut to the chase; “Okay, I admit, there never was anything wrong with the Elements, although knowing they still work is always reassuring.”

Confused, Fluttershy started “B-but didn’t you just say somepony tried to-“

“Nopony broke into the castle. I purposely blew up the tower to get the Elements since I couldn’t get to them any other way due to my own trap” said Celestia, cutting off Fluttershy with an embarrassed cringe. “No, what the whole point of this was that we found evidence you might have contracted some kind of evil charm from that wound you suffered a month ago or so.”

“ _That’s_ what this is all about?” asked the incredulous Applejack. The princesses were right; she’d probably been turned into a werewolf from that attack, but something in Applejack’s head made her decide this still wasn’t the right time to reveal that just yet. Instead, the farm pony went against her own element and outright made up a story before anypony else in the room could speak up.

“Ah know Ah’ve been doin’ some, well… rather questionable…things as of late, but none of it is because Ah’m some kind of zompony or even a vampony or somethin’ like that. If ya’ll absolutely have to know…”she sighed before dropping the bomb, “…it’s mah time of the month.”

Everypony else in the room immediately made an expression that showed they understood exactly what Applejack had meant...except Spike, since he didn’t know what “that time of the month” meant to those of the fairer sex but, realizing this was probably a private female thing, immediately retreated to the basement.

It was Rarity who next spoke. “Oh, I’m _sure_ I can speak for everypony here that while we know what that’s like, has it really been that bad that you end up at The Meatery of all places and unconsciously find yourself having eaten half of…oooh!” Word had quickly gotten around town about what had happened at The Meatery, an establishment that Rarity thought absolutely barbaric and actually couldn’t think about for too long about before getting violently ill.

“Ah know, but ya’ll have to believe me! It’s been especially bad this time, normally Ah don’t react as badly as this.” It was true, Applejack never really did have strong reactions when that dreaded period came around, but would it be enough to sell the lie her actions were all because of a natural bodily function and not because she’d been turning into a werewolf?

Unbeknownst to her, most of her body language that would imply a blatant lie beyond the pleading smile was not being subconsciously demonstrated, a side effect of whatever it was making her decide to keep the lycanthropy a secret, so to the rest of the gathered party she was being fully honest.

To break the awkward mood, Luna coughed into her hoof before saying “Well, um, Celestia and I are sorry for having to force that understandably private bit of information from you,” glaring at Celestia who also quickly nodded with a smile.

“It’s alright, like Rarity said we’ve all had to go through this on a regular basis, and it’s touching that ya’ll care for me so much-“ Applejack couldn’t finish as she was promptly tackled by a flash mob hug consisting of her five best friends in the whole world.

Luna and Celestia looked upon the pony pile with laughter and smiles, but the telepathic conversation in their heads was of a much graver tone.

“She doesn’t seem like she’s lying, but there’s still something wrong with her and I doubt it’s just a result of…well, you know.” Celestia mentally said to her sister.

“But she’s the Element of Honesty, why would she lie about something she doesn’t have?” responded Luna.

“Because I think she does, but for one reason or another she’s hiding it. Very well, I might add, but something is going on with that mare even the Elements can’t cure.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Look at her tail, Luna, does something seem wrong?”

Luna focused on the movements of the farm pony’s bundled tail as the pile dissolved back into a group of standing ponies. It looked like a normal pony’s tail, just tied up at the end with a red hair tie, nothing out of the unusual. It was even moving normally, flicking back and forth. Back and forth. Back and-

“Why is she moving her tail so much?” Luna questioned. Outside of using it to show more body language or sometimes as an extra appendage, ponies rarely manipulated their tails at any time, especially during conversations, which the group of six ponies was now engaged in.

“That’s what I want to know, especially since it seems to be trying to act like it’s much shorter and thicker than it actually is, almost as if it were a...“ In unison the royal sisters said the same thing in each other’s heads: _...wolf’s tail._

Looking at each other uncomfortably, they knew they had a situation on their hooves. The only thing preventing them from being totally sure Applejack had become a werewolf was that she’d seemed so honest about putting the blame on something she couldn’t have helped. What if she was sure it was on that and still didn’t know what she had become? Her state of mind was still in question, risking an out of control werewolf was something Celestia wanted to all avoid at all costs, but how else would they be able to confirm what they feared was true? As they desperately tried to come up with a new plan, the alicorns could only hope Applejack was in control of herself that, in the event she was a werewolf, she wouldn’t end up spreading it and causing a repeat of the werewolf attacks from hundreds of years ago.

Applejack, for her part, was just glad she was able to hide her condition from her friends. She didn’t want them to leave her if they knew what she was, which is why that secret would be revealed at a later time. A much later time, most likely, but her fellow bearers were her closest friends and once she felt comfortable as a werewolf, they would be informed. They could be trusted.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Hours later, once the town had gone to sleep, Applejack included (she fought the urge to go on another night-long running spree in her new form in order to reassure her family she was in control of her problems), Derpy Hooves was still waiting for the mail train to arrive. It had been delayed for several hours due to the engine breaking down somewhere close to the edge of the Everfree Forest three miles down the line and getting it moving again with an old style pulling team was a slow process.

Finally, she heard the pathetic whistle of the crippled train and the clattering of sixteen hooves as four strong stallions pulled into the station. Derpy noted that it looked like something had attacked the side of the engine, as the driver rods had been removed and the scratch marks on the drive piston casings had gone deep enough that steam was still pouring out, barely leaving any for the whistle. The wall eyed mailmare had to wonder what kind of creature could do that kind of damage to a speeding locomotive, much less cut through tempered iron, but with such exact precision that the boiler only lost pressure from escaping steam instead of exploding from the sudden release of pressure.

“Excuse me, miss?” called a voice, getting Derpy’s attention. A brown earth pony with a well groomed mustache exited the car behind the engine and approached her. “Are you Mrs. Derpy Hooves, the local mailmare?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Sorry for having to keep you waiting, I’m sure you can see something didn’t want this train making it to the station, but the Royal Equestrian Railway doesn’t keep reserve pulling teams simply to waste the budget! Anyways, if you could sign here please…”

Derpy signed for the mail delivery, which was nothing more than a few bags of letters she could carry in a cart back to the post office and then sort in the morning. As she was writing, however, there was noticeable movement in the corner of her vision. Most ponies wouldn’t have seen it, but Derpy’s namesake eye condition actually allowed her to see things most ponies would miss.

“Thank you, ma'am, just instruct the boys where you want them to put the sacks.”

As the conductor turned to re-enter the train, Derpy trotted over to where both her mail cart and the sack-ladden workers were waiting for her. Once again, she caught movement when she could see in between train cars, and so she shot up into the sky to get a better look. However, her higher viewpoint offered no further clues as to the identity of the thing she was looking for.

“Hey, miss? I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s been a long day and we’d like to not fall asleep with heavy mail sacks on top of us!”

“Oh! Sorry, thought I saw something, but it was nothing!” Derpy called back as she landed at her cart. Whatever she saw couldn’t have been anything important, maybe just a squirrel or a night owl.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Hidden behind a building on the other side of the station, the dark figure watched the strange pegasus without giving away his position. He was mildly curious, having never seen a pony with a face that stupid looking, but his initial impressions were rejected when she somehow had noticed him darting from the train and almost caught him mid-stride.

Somepony called out for her, causing her to abandon the search and go back to whatever it was she was doing. Allowing for a small sigh of relief, the dark figure began to dart from building to building, always staying to the shadows and only going into as few open areas as possible. It would have been much more safer had he just made the three mile journey by himself through the forest, probably would have gotten here faster, too, but even just involving the train had been a luxury he decided he could afford to rest his legs. There had been plenty of food for him to take and he’d stolen a new satchel to replace his old worn out one.

The food had been alright (no meat, which annoyed him but was not unexpected) and there had been enough for him to carry extra provisions if he’d need them later, but the satchel had been the real prize of the whole endeavor. Few things held any lasting value to him now, but those that did were more valuable than anything. The water canteen, the coin purse, the old photo, the tarnished piece of ancient brass, and the locket; the canteen was purely for survival reasons, and the coin purse was just for money he would need in periods where he’d have to buy what he required, but the rest were irreplaceable treasures chronicling his life to this point, the path that forged him into what he had become. He’d had the old satchel for years but it was going to fall apart before long, so finding a brand new replacement in which to store his priceless trinkets had been a stroke of good fortune.

Judging the coast to be clear, he made a beeline for the forest edge, disappearing in a flash the moment he crossed the border. Now safe in the forest many feared for what he considered its greatest trait, he immediately set off to find a nice cave or something where he could establish a base to which he could return to later if something went south. Hopefully it wouldn’t be necessary but as a hunter he always had to be prepared. After all, the whole reason he’d retreated so far from these grounds a month ago was to ensure nobody would find him so soon after his attack.

It was another hard hour or two of non-stop running before he found such a location near the town he approved of, a gigantic cave in the middle of a tall rock formation just a few hours walk from Winsome Falls. It was close enough to the town that he could get back here easily, but far enough that most would abandon the hunt for him well before getting close. Bunkering down for the night, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep. He would need it, as tomorrow he would begin to reel in his prey in the town known as Ponyville.


	7. Book1 Ch.7 Lo the Mighty Hunter

Chapter 7: Lo the Mighty Hunter

In the capital of the Minotaur Kingdom; Heiferton, a very frustrated self-help instructor was finding himself having to deal with his parents as he spent some self-allowed vacation time in his native country.

“Mom, Dad, Iron Will doesn’t understand why you guys don’t think being a self-help motivational speaker isn’t paying the bills! Outside of that one incident in Ponyville with that timid pegasus pony, which considering Iron Will’s successes afterwards with his ‘No Means No’ angle of speaking, Iron Will doesn’t even consider that much of a setback, the money has been more than enough to keep Iron Will and his assistants well sustained on my lecture tours!”

"Will, it’s not the money we’re worried about,” answered his mother, “but we simply want to know: when are you going to settle down and find a cow of your very own?"

"Iron Will doesn't have that kind of time!"

"Son,” intoned his father, Maximum Strength, “when are you going to stop referring to yourself in the third person, complete the ritual and earn yourself a mate?"

Iron Will facepalmed. The “ritual” his family spoke of was an ancient cultural norm all male minotaurs were to engage in when they reached the legal age of consent, to prove that they were worthy of representing their race and also to attract those of the opposite sex to take their hand in marriage. Most of the ritual revolved around simple ceremonies and basic demonstrations of strength, but the final requirement was the doozy. In order to fully establish themselves as a true minotaur, the males had to go out into the world and bring back the body of the most savage animal that they could kill. Iron Will’s problem was that he’d never actually killed anything in his life, because something more important had come up.

“Iron Will has told both of you why that is: the book deal had been approved and the ritual had to be overlooked if iron Will was to make it big as a motivational speaker!”

“Well, now that you say being a motivational speaker is so lucrative, then you should have all the time in the world to hunt down that creature and get hitched to an attractive mate. Who knows, you might even encounter a werewolf!” replied his father.

Iron Will’s pupils shrunk. While in normal circumstances a male was more sexually attractive to potential mates based on how big the corpse was, the modern record was held by the minotaur named Steel Grip who had managed to drag an entire Quarry Eel from the land of Equestria all the way to Heiferton; pretty much every single female candidate in the kingdom had been trying to break the poor guy’s door down to propose marriage ever since. But the one exception to the rule was the legendary werewolf. Due to a savage attack from one that had killed the minotaur queen centuries ago, the distraught king had declared that any minotaur who brought him the corpse of a werewolf would instantly become engaged to the princess. To date, no minotaur had ever killed a werewolf as it was believed they were extinct shortly afterwards (apparently they’d all been involved with the losing side of the Equestrian Civil War at the time), with some believing the king himself had made the whole story up to justify killing his wife. But recently the current princess, Circe, had come of age and her father, a big believer in tradition, had made the announcement that she was fair game - as well as the granting of a dukedom - for anyone who became “the Werewolf Slayer”.

“Yes,” interjected Will’s mother, “that Princess Circe certainly would make a _fine_ mate for you; she is of marrying age after all. Plus, it would also boost your social status beyond a mere ‘motivational speaker’ or whatever it is you do.”

Iron Will blushed. It was true that he’d had a crush on the beautiful Princess Circe since he was a small calf, but it wasn’t out of an unwillingness to actually marry her that worried him.

"Mom! No-one's seen a werewolf in hundreds of years. How can Iron Will hunt a creature that almost certainly is extinct?!"

"Well, that just means you're certain to get a cow when you kill a werewolf, now doesn't it?   
Besides, if you can't slay a werewolf at least catch yourself a banshee or helicoprion. While it’s been announced the old declaration still holds, I’m sure something of equal rarity and ferocity would suffice."

Iron Will knew better. A banshee was technically already dead, so they didn’t count, and no way in Tartarus was Iron Will going to learn how to swim simply to hunt a stupid looking shark thing that was also probably extinct. But having run out of options, Iron Will decided he’d have to extend his vacation and take up being a “werewolf hunter”, dragging along his assistants Willy and Nilly if they still wanted to be paid.

“Okay, fine, Iron Will shall go track down a werewolf. But where would Iron Will even start to look for one?”

Then it hit him. While he’d never met her, Twilight Sparkle was well known throughout the world for her intellectual capabilities and as the _de facto_ leader of the Element Bearers. She’d know where to start looking and, if what he had learned during his stay in Ponyville was correct, she was the town’s librarian.

_On second thought_ , contemplated the speaker-turned-hunter, _maybe this won’t be so bad after all…_  
______________________________________________________________________________

In Golden Oaks Library, the studious lavender mare was busy engaging in her favorite hobby: reading. Having already put a good dent into her to-read pile, it took a moment for her to realize Spike was calling for her attention.

“Twilight! Twilight! Something’s going on outside!”

“Alright, I’ll be down in a moment!”

Bookmarking her place in her current book, a recent sci-fi thriller titled _Razorblade Angel_ , Twilight left the comfort of her bed and descended down to the ground floor of her library home. She could hear the crowd making noise halfway down the steps, causing her to think _Oh no, this better_ not _be Trixie coming back to challenge me again. I thought all of that was water under the bridge between us…_

Upon opening the door, she did not find Trixie, nor a crowd being angry at the subject of their attention. Instead, it was a giant, blue minotaur wearing a headset and flanked on either side by two goats, also wearing headsets. The crowd was also cheering, which meant whoever this individual was they certainly had a good impression of him.

“Hello, Miss Twilight Sparkle! Iron Will is my name, monster hunting is my game!” declared the minotaur, giving her a million-bit smile and a thumbs up. At the thumbs up sign, a certain mint unicorn started foaming at the mouth at the back of the assembled crowd and had to be dragged away by her two earth pony friends for medical treatment.

“So, _you’re_ Iron Will?” asked Sparkle. While she hadn’t been in town the last time the minotaur had visited during his lecture tour due to royal student business, she’d heard about what had happened between him and Fluttershy, or rather “New Fluttershy” and what that entailed. Still, the kind pegasus had no mean words to say about him and implied they had parted ways on acceptable terms, so Twilight had to go on her friend’s intuition and not treat the minotaur as a potential problem. “I’ve heard about you. Is there something I can help you with?”

“As a matter of fact there is!” he declared, “Is it alright if, ah, we talked in private?” Having no discernible objections, Twilight let him into the library along with his goat assistants. Once the speaker and his entourage were inside, the crowd quickly dispersed, giving silence as the backdrop for the meeting going on inside the library.

However, the moment Iron Will thought he was out of the public eye, his demeanor quickly changed from that of a confident speaker to somebody who was way in over his head about something. “Look, Iron Will desperately needs your help with something and you’re the only one that can assist him”

_Third person, great…_ thought Twilight, really hoping the similarities between him and another certain blue individual Twilight and friends had had trouble with before ended there. “Okay, Mr. Will, how can I be of assistance?”

Smiling at the fact the unicorn hadn’t tried to do something rash like instantly murder him (along with her reputation for intelligence, her powers when she was mentally driven off her rocker were legendary), he asked the first of what would be many difficult questions; “Well, this is kind of complicated, so Iron Will may take awhile to explain. Is that alright?”

Judging him to be sincere with his request, while his goat pals appeared to be just living statues that didn’t even need to breathe, Twilight answered in the affirmative before having Spike set about preparing some tea and snacks. If the minotaur was going to be cordial then she should be hospitable.

“So, this problem of yours, what does it entail? Don’t skimp out on any of the details, mind you.”

“You have no idea how much iron Will appreciates this, Miss Sparkle. Anyways, Iron Will should explain his current situation in regards to the rituals we minotaurs have in terms of selecting mates…”  
______________________________________________________________________________

It had been about a week since Applejack had come clean about her strange behaviors, to which she was relieved nopony ever tried inquiring about again, and for her part she’d done her best to try and control the wolf-like mannerisms that still showed through during the day. After that night she had forced herself to remain in her pony form to keep up appearances, almost every night since she’d found the urge to transform into her wolf like body. She’d been thankful none of the rest of her family ever walked into her room when she was decidedly more frightening in appearance, plus her repeated transformations had gotten significantly less painful to the point where she could almost do it by will without feeling anything, even during the day.

On top of that, she was feeling on average even more energetic than she had been before she’d been bitten. Her productivity in apple harvesting had gone up a fair bit due to her increased speed, so much that she was able to finish earlier, which in turn allowed her to work on other things around the farm. Such as painting the barn before the CMC decided to try using the red paint for something else to make it go three times faster or something and helping granny with the cooking of more things to sell at market.

In fact, she’d noticed a lot of things about her that seemed to improve upon fully embracing her new status as a werewolf. Her hearing had gotten a lot sharper, so listening for danger had become a lot easier. Her sense of smell was also greater, to the point that even as far as the edge of the far fields she could still smell the fresh baked apple pie scent coming from the kitchen. She lamented the fact such a smell no longer made her mouth water as much as it used to, but at least she hadn’t completely lost a tasted for the family’s namesake fruit, heck it even still tasted good to her, which was better than suddenly finding them disgusting.

Filling up the last of the apple buckets, she re-hitched herself to the cart and began to haul the crop back to the barn once more. At a trotting pace. Sure, it wasn’t as fast as running, but it was faster than walking, and speed had surprisingly become a big part of Applejack’s modus operandi as of late.

But as she arrived at her destination, she noticed Big Mac had suddenly shown up, looking at her curiously. “Somethin’ wrong, brother?” she inquired.

“Your harvestin’ of apples certainly has gone up recently,” commented the stallion. “You sure you’re feelin’ alright? First a period where you’re actin’ all strange like, then all of a sudden you’re at the top of your game? Ah know it’s none of mah business, but you have to admit it does seem a mite suspicious.”

Applejack just smiled. “Mac, Ah told you Ah’m fine. Mah harvestin’ is just improvin’ ‘cause Ah dealt with those problems Ah was talkin about on mah own. Trust me, brother, there’s nothin’ wrong!”

“If you say so,” Big Mac replied before turning and heading off to go milk the cows. Inside his head, the word _werewolf_ continued to blare wildly and loudly in his head, but once again he had little evidence to force a confession. Plus, maybe he’d just been wrong and Applejack was in fact okay. He’d heard from Pinkie it had been a very “private” matter with which Applejack had been having issues, so Big Mac immediately figured out what they’d really been and had to wonder if there was some truth to that claim.

At the same time, Applejack had retreated into the barn and proceeded to start scratching like a dog at some infernal itch that had developed on her side. Thankful that Big Mac hadn’t noticed, she’d allowed herself to give into her new base need just for a second. Afterwards, she stood back up, regained her composure, and stored the apples in the growing surplus in the silo.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Iron Will looked incredulously at the store before him, “Iron Will is not so sure about this.”

Next to him, a giddy Twilight Sparkle was positively ecstatic, “What are you talking about?! This place certainly will have what you need to catch a werewolf! Plus, we might find other things, too! I’ve always wanted to go inside!”

The unlikely duo found themselves in front of Ponyville’s largest store: Rich’s Barnyard Bargains. Allegedly, this was the place where one could find anything for an extremely low competitive price, as promised by the store’s proprietor Filthy Rich. Despite his name, Mr. Rich was a reasonable pony who believed his prices should be backed up by quality, unlike what practices his main competitor Stall-Mart reportedly engaged in, cutting corners every chance they got to make a quick additional bit or two. That was the reasoning Twilight had used to decide everything Iron Will could get that would aid in his quest to seek the hand of the fair maiden Princess Circe would be from this store.

It had been to either Iron Will’s fortune and/or dismay that Twilight’s biggest reason for helping him find a mythical monster was because it might get him married to a princess. The pony herself having been involved in a similar circumstance involving her brother and Princess Cadance, the ruler of the Crystal Empire. Twilight had turned out to be something of a hopeless romantic once Iron Will had explained his story to her, so now here he found himself staring straight into the face of modern pony commercialism, all in a play to please his nagging parents and get married by slaying an ancient horror which may or may not exist. He just secretly hoped he wasn’t going to end up dead or permanently humiliated at the end of this.

Finally entering the store, the two were subjected to a sight that just screamed “modernism”. Aisles upon aisles of fiberglass were lined up before them, each pathway formed by them having giant signs marked above them that listed the kinds of things they contained. Aisle 3: bread, Aisle 5; eggs, Aisle 17: breaded eggs, etc. Iron Will had never seen so much commercial retail in one place, but then again he usually just had things delivered by mail order to his hotel rooms during his speaking circuits or just bought directly from the local street markets. Superstores like this one were practically unheard of back home, where despite recent adoption of modern technology like telephones many minotaur families lives in the old traditional ways of self-sustenance and small market economics.

“Over here, Iron Will!” called out Twilight, motioning for her new friend to follow. Aisle 57 is where she led him, a veritable paradise of hunting gear. Bear traps, sleeping darts, all kinds of things a pony could use to track down wild game. Or a minotaur.

“Iron Will has to question why ponies would need such gear as this. He was under the assumption they were a rather peaceful society.”

“Oh, don’t worry, ponies usually don’t even come over here I’ll bet” responded Twilight, “a lot of this stuff seems geared more towards large pest control for other species who aren’t as in tune with nature as we ponies are. I bet Fluttershy would pass out if she learned this place even had as much hunting equipment as it does!”

“Iron Will sincerely doubts that,” replied Iron Will. He was serious, the usually quiet pony had told him about her secret weapon, “The Stare” and, in demonstration, had hit him full force with it in an attempt to be more assertive during her trial period in his self-help program. He knew nothing that lay before him in this store could compete with such mind-numbing power as the piercing gaze of that one pony.

_Still,_ he thought as he handled a strange mechanism marked as a “wolf immobilizing device _”, Iron Will may not have the same abilities as that pegasus, but these devices should do just fine in its place._  
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_Tonight was the night,_ thought Angel Bunny, as he bid his mistress Fluttershy good night. Once he was sure she was asleep upstairs, it was time for him to get to work. Making sure as to not make much noise he hippity-hopped his way all over the house, picking up the materials he would need for his transformation which he had hidden in secret caches all over. Soon, he had everything he required, and setting up shop in the bathroom in front of the sink mirror, he got to work.

First, the battle dress outfit. Having collected all kinds of scraps of fabric from both Fluttershy’s sewing kit and from extremely late night trade sessions with Rarity’s cat Opalesance that saw various foodstuffs traded for cloth bits (that cat would do anything for food that wasn’t the designer brand cat kibble Rarity fed her), Angel got to work in making his uniform. For a bunny that had no prior experience in sewing clothes, he thought he did a fine job in making himself a pair of roomy camo trousers and a matching camo top.

Then, his weapons. While Ponirambo needed nothing but his wings and brute strength to beat into submission the changeling hordes, Angel knew he’d need some firepower to make up for his lack of strength. The armaments were simple enough; a small dart slingshot that fired needles, a pair of reinforced toothpick nunchaku, and a small emergency combat knife for desperate situations. He also crafted himself a pair of reflective goggles to fight off any cockatrice he might encounter in the woods. Ponirambo didn’t need goggles, his stare alone was enough to freeze cockatrice into stone, but as Angel was so hopelessly below the level of badass that was Ponirambo the goggles were a necessity.

Then, the most important detail of all: the beard. Hauling out a 5 oz. piece of charcoal, Angel dirtied his paws as he applied the sacred substance to his face. He couldn’t figure out how to replicate Ponirambo’s ability to have a reserve hoof be able to shoot out of his beard and punch changeling scum in the face, but a fake 5 O’clock shadow made from charcoal was as close as Angel was going to get. Stepping back to get a good look at himself, no longer was he simply Angel Bunny, for he had turned into something more. Faster, craftier, more sexually appealing to all other bunnies everywhere, he had become...Rambun! Fueled by confidence based on his new appearance and weaponry, he quickly made his way out of Fluttershy’s cottage, screaming bloody war cries as he charged off into the Everfree to go kill manticores by the dozens and any changelings that stood in his way.  
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Queen Chrysalis stood on her private balcony, looking out at the night that Princess Luna had created, jealous of the younger alicorn’s powers. She had almost had that power for herself, along with Celestia’s and Cadance’s, but she’d overestimated the amount of love left in Shining Armor. As a result, here she was back in her hive castle, nursing her wounds. They’d healed up for the most part, only her wings had been totaled in the crash as she’d landed on some sharp rocks and until a new set grew in she was forced to remain here in the wastelands, plotting revenge.

Then a shrill, extremely high-pitched noise greeted her ears as it came from the far side of where she thought the Everfree Forest was, and she tensed. “Ponirambo!?” she whispered, fear in her voice. She then quickly abandoned the charade and laughed. She knew of the movie, having sent her minions to go steal one of the experimental “televisions” and all the movies available for it. She was a queen, after all, and she only deserved the best in modern technology. _Speaking of which_ , she thought as she turned to re-enter her private quarters, _I think I’m in the mood to watch_ Flight School Musical _again…_  
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The moon was clear and visible in the Equestrian sky, now a half moon. That didn’t matter to Applejack, though. It had been too long since her last run, too long since she let herself truly go wild and all out. Already she could feel herself give in to her lycanthropy, the changes now all taking place simultaneously instead of one-by-one as they had a few days ago, and no pain this time either. In fact, the only pain she felt was her amplified hearing picking up some weird, shrill cry coming from the Everfree Forest, but she paid it no mind as she let the feeling of her inner wolf alter her body once more.

Her transformation finished, breathing with a slight raspiness that belied her wolfish nature, she grinned eagerly with her emerald eyes aglow as she gazed at the bright half-orb in the sky. Tonight was going to be a good running night.


	8. Book1 Ch.8 Hunting Legends

Chapter 8: Hunting Legends

Nighttime in the Everfree Forest was both a beautiful and terrifying period of the day within the realm of its trees. On the one hand, the beauty lay in the fireflies and the semi-bioluminescent flowers that lit up the dark interiors of the forest, becoming an almost surreal experience to just walk through. On the other hand, many of the forest’s most dangerous predators, such as the cockatrice and the manticore, came out to play at night and tended to strike on unwary prey who ventured off the beaten path while deep inside the forest.

For Applejack, she only really cared about the former right now. Letting her legs stretch as she sped along the trail with breakneck speed, all the lights looked like blurry streaks in her vision. She wondered if this was what it was like to be a pegasus, racing across the night sky with the stars whizzing by one-by-one. But Applejack had no interest in gaining wings; she thought they’d just make her look weird. That, and her place was on the ground, just a simple earth pony apple farmer who lived with her siblings and grandmother.

Her pace slowed down as her thoughts became more troubled. She knew that, eventually, she’d have to face up to her lies and admit being a werewolf, but it was just that it would have to happen at the right time. When that time could come she didn’t know, but until then everybody she knew would have to be kept in the dark. Her family, friends - she’d even lied in front of the princesses about this. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that the longer they were unaware of the truth, the worse the repercussions. So Applejack kept on running, lost in her thoughts in an endless attempt to escape them.  
______________________________________________________________________________

“There, that should be the last of ‘em!”

Iron Will stood back to examine his work. He knew very well that he was not going to catch a werewolf tonight. Heck, he didn’t expect to for his entire stay in Ponyville, it didn’t seem like the kind of place werewolves would hang around. The forests around Hollow Shades, Vanhoover, even Baltimare seemed a lot more likely to have evil shape-shifters lurking about.

But that was to be thought about another day. Right now, Iron Will was in Ponyville simply to self-learn how to hunt in general. Since he was a self-help coach, he figured with enough assertiveness and the right gear this whole hunting thing should be pretty easy. Tonight’s goal: a timberwolf. Iron Will had been surprised when Twilight had explained how normal wolves tended to avoid the Everfree Forest, which he also figured applied to werewolves, so timberwolves were the best he had going for him right now in the hunting seminar.

To prepare for catching a timberwolf, iron Will planned to chase one out. He’d set up traps outside one of the entrances to the forest, to be staffed by Willy and Nilly. Iron Will himself would go into the forest, track down a timberwolf, and then chase it out into the traps where his assistants would activate it, immobilizing the wooden canine. At least, that was the plan.

Iron Will, however, was taking no chances. Having donned a full-body latex sneaking suit (apparently Twilight’s friend, Pinkie Pie, kept these things hidden in caches all over the country in case of full-body latex sneaking-suit emergencies), the minotaur was also equipped with the best stealth technology Barnyard Bargains could sell him. Armed with a compartmentalized belt that held various tools he’d need for sneaking around, he also had a super-strength rope that could be used for repelling, and a special pair of night vision goggles that had three green-lensed scopes positioned as if they were the points of a triangle. He was also still wearing the headset, just in case he needed to contact Willy and Nilly at any time for emergencies.

“Alright boys, Iron Will is going in!” he told his allies before he started to walk into the thick underbrush of the woods, beginning his quest to kill a werewolf. Once he had disappeared from view, the two goats just looked at each other before snickering, then collapsing with laughter. While they held high respect for their boss, they honestly didn’t believe this “werewolf hunting” thing was going to turn out well at all. They were still getting paid for this, though, so they didn’t really have anything to complain about if it just meant sitting around and waiting to spring traps. Once recovered from their laughing fit and figuring it would take some time, Willy rummaged through the sack he’d brought and revealed a pack of playing cards. Nilly did the same, except in his hooves was a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres Reserve Cider, which he’d picked up in town while the boss was at Barnyard Bargains, and two tall steins. Filling up the glasses with cider, then toasting to their boss’s fortune, they settled down to play some rounds of Kemps to pass the time.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Angel “Rambun” Bunny continued to make his long trek through the forest, looking for the poor sod that would become his first kill. Granted, it had been an hour and he probably wasn’t that far from Fluttershy’s cottage, but when all you can really do to cover long distances is hop, there isn’t much that can be done. The fact he hadn’t even found anything larger than a few ants to try and beat into submission was also sort of a downer.

But would Ponirambo give up in the face of these odds? No! And so Angel pressed on in his desire to be like the larger than life action hero of some movie he’d obsessed over. At something approaching one mile an hour speeds.

_This is gonna take a while_ , thought the rabbit _, something interesting could at least happ-_  
It was too fast for the bunny to see, but whatever just came shooting out of the woods hit him mid-jump and sent him flying backwards a few feet into the underbrush before it disappeared back into the woods.

Dazed, Angel shook his head before he got back up, wondering if this whole “Rambun” thing was a good idea after all.  
______________________________________________________________________________

It took a good few hundred meters for Applejack to come to a stop after something had collided with her face, kicking up dirt as she slowed to a halt. Once stationary, she brushed off her face with a paw before working her features to make sure they were alright. They were.

_Now what in tarnation was that?_ wondered the werewolf. But she quickly lost interest in following that mystery as she decided to resume her run. The rationale for her running was…well, she just felt like it. As she’d never felt the urge to run this much before her change, she reasoned it was a side effect of being a werewolf. But since it didn’t cause nopony no harm, she didn’t see any problem with feeding the need for speed. The Everfree Forest made a good obstacle course, much better than anything the one back on the farm could be configured to. Along with the leaping and the dodging, the terrain was uneven in places and other natural hazards stood in her way. She’d taken care to note patches of Poison Joke while she was mapping out possible courses for these runs on a previous night, back when being partially a wolf was still an unusual feeling. But now…now it was almost second nature.

The thought of that made the wolf pony frown. Sure, she enjoyed these nightly runs, but they were never going to be worth the cost of her identity. She was Applejack, farm pony, element bearer, part of the Apple fam-

She skidded to a stop, the feeling to run unopposed having left. For some reason, the thought of her parents had made her realize she hadn’t visited their graves recently, not since this werewolf business had started. Feeling a bit teary eyed, she couldn’t stop herself from letting out a sorrowful howl before picking herself back up and taking a route back home. She knew what she had to do now.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Iron Will was a good bit into the forest when he heard the sad howl. It sounded nothing like the quieter howls from earlier; those which Twilight had said were timberwolves. That meant there was another kind of wolf in the woods. If Lady Luck smiled upon him, it might be the fabled werewolf, but Iron Will didn’t hold his breath. He wouldn’t be that fortunate for this business to be over with that quickly; it would have been far too convenient.

Judging the howls to be coming from his right, he immediately took off at a jogging pace to hunt his prize. He took care to note if there were any patches of a flower called “poison joke” which the unicorn had warned him about. According to her, the plants had some kind of magical effect that played “jokes” on those unfortunate enough to come into contact with the flora. Twilight had also said due to a misunderstanding with a zebra that lived in these woods, the unicorn had come into contact with the plant, but what happened was something she declined to go into detail about. Figuring it to be something horrible, the minotaur took every precaution to ensure he didn’t land in the plant or fall victim to the effects himself.

Unfortunately, in his efforts to avoid the plant, he ended up tripping over a sleeping manticore he’d totally not seen and went flying into a tree. A brief second of recovery later and Iron Will found a very grumpy manticore looking right at him, stringer at the ready. But where this may have scared a pony stiff, Iron Will was no pony. He was not one to back down from a wild animal challenging him simply because of an accident. No, this was time to get…assertive.

“If somepony tries to block…” spoke the minotaur, looking his opponent dead in the eye before shouting **“…THEN SHOW THEM THAT YOU ROCK!”** and striking a flexing pose. The manticore, surprised and confused, backed away as he was unsure what was going on, keeping the stinger in position should the creature try to attack.

Noticing that his posing confused the creature, Iron Will decided to use that to his advantage. Striking another pose and flexing his big manticore muscles, he declared “Treat me as a push over, and I’ll give you the once over!” while slowly moving his feet to gain a better position. This continued for a while, Iron Will keeping the creature at bay with his flexing and catchy one-liners taken straight from his self-help seminars, the manticore just getting more and more confused as to what his creature was doing. It wasn’t attacking, it wasn’t retreating, it was just…dancing?

Then, unexpectedly, the manticore got up on his hind legs…and began to flex his forearms the same way as Iron Will. They say that impersonation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Iron Will was certainly getting an ego boost from inspiring a manticore to go from possibly trying to kill an enemy to now engaging in a flex-off.

His original mission forgotten, Iron Will took to the challenge to prove this upstart monster couldn’t out flex a minotaur. “You call that flexing? Iron Will shall show you what it means to flex!”  
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Having given up on hopping, Angel Bunny was now simply walking at a slow pace on the forest floor. No way was he going back to jumping when things could shoot out and send you sailing out of the blue. He wouldn’t have ever admitted it, but that tragic sounding howl (which had felt pretty close by) was also a reason for staying close to the ground, out of fear. Taking out a fake cigarette (a sliver of paper folded up to look like a bunny-sized cigarette), he pretended to light it before putting it in his mouth, the same way Ponirambo did every time he wasn’t beating the crap out of every single thing that moved.

Hearing a commotion in the distance, Angel went to investigate. It looked like a manticore was…dancing…with some other creature. The other presence Angel had a vague recollection about, but it had been so long ago he couldn’t clearly call forth the memory.

He was stunned at what he found. In a small clearing, the manticore and bull-like creature (which for some reason was wearing a wireless headset) were slowly walking in a circle, never turning their backs to each other. Their arms kept on making strange movements, making parts of them bulge out with visible veins, but not in a decidedly gross way. The “cigarette” fell out of Angel’s mouth as his jaw dropped at the strange spectacle. The strange, yet oddly enough extremely entertaining spectacle.

Deciding that the adventures of Rambun could wait, Angel found a small clear spot next to a tree and sat down to watch. Maybe this might break out into a fight, where Angel could then go in and smack the winner with his nun chucks, claiming both creatures as his first two kills. Nopony would know the truth. He just had to be patient.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Big Mac had heard the howl. Applejack was once again not in her room, the window open and curtains fluttering. Standing in his sister’s doorway, the oldest child of the Apples had come to a silent decision: this would end tonight.

Taking care to not wake Granny or Apple Bloom, the stallion descended to the first floor of the residence to try and find something to keep himself for what he was hoping would not be necessary. The sweat was visible upon his brow as he entered the kitchen, knowing where the tool he sought was contained. Opening one of the cabinet drawers, he found it; a silver bladed knife. It was not the sharpest knife he had access to, but it was not the edge he was concerned about. He’d heard long ago that wolves have some kind of reaction if they come into contact with an object whose composition was mostly made of silver. Big Mac did not know what would happen if a werewolf came into contact with something made one hundred percent of silver, but if things went south tonight, he’d have to make that discovery.

With his weapon stowed, he inhaled deeply to calm his nerves. _Please, sis…_ begged the stallion in his mind _, …please don’t make me use this_. He then proceeded to exit the house with the intention to save his sister, one way or another.

He never left the property, much to his surprise. He’d feared the worst and decided to use the fence gate that was the nearest to Ponyville, but he found Applejack well before he reached it. There, sitting in front of the gravestones of the Apple parents in the family graveyard, surrounded by roses, was his sister. Thankfully, she didn’t look like a monster, just a regular earth pony. But Big Mac couldn’t be too cautious.

“Ap-Applejack?” he called out.

Her limp ears perking up, she craned her head around to see her brother standing a few yards off. “Oh, hey Big Mac. What are you doin’ up this late?”

“Ah dunno, might have been somethin’ in mah dreams. But whatever it was, it don’t compare to the scare ya gave me when Ah looked in yer room to find it empty with the window open.”

“Oh, right, that. Ah opened it up to get some air into the room, it was feelin’ stuffy and all.”  
It was an awkward few minutes as the siblings, one standing, one sitting, said and did nothing. Finally, it was Applejack who broke the silence; “Ah miss ‘em.”

Walking over to where AJ sat, Big Mac joined her in front of the tombstones and embraced her with one of his forelegs. “So do I, sis. So do I.”

Leaning into the warm embrace of her brother, Applejack nuzzled her face into his side before the tears began to fall. The stallion did nothing other than draw her in tighter into the hug, feeling a tear come to his own eyes, but not allowing himself to fail in his duty to be the strong one, to support the rest of his family. He was just glad he didn’t have to use the silver knife he’d kept hidden.

In front of the combined silhouette of brother and sister sat the two tombstones. While most of the deceased residents of Ponyville were buried in the town cemetery, the Apple Family had been one of the founding families and so had set a small plot of the land aside to be where their deceased family members would be laid to rest, covered in the roses planted in the ground. But while most of the tombstones were of the standard slate style, the two Applejack and Big Mac sat in front of were of significantly higher quality than what most people would expect the Apple Family would normally be able to buy. Their inscriptions read:

_APPLESEED_

_Loving Father_

_CORNFLOWER_

_Loving Mother_

As Applejack and Big Mac sat in front of the twin graves, the final resting places of their parents, they both felt the inclination to look up to the sky. As they did so, a pair of shooting stars flew across Luna’s sky.

“That’s them…” said Applejack,” They’re watchin’ over us, aren’t they?”

“Eeyup,” he replied with warmth.

The pair continued to sit until the shooting stars had long since disappeared into the darkness of the night, before getting up and returning to the Apple homestead, their respects to their parents paid for the time being, and Big Mac being made a little surer that his sister wouldn’t meet the same fate as Appleseed and Cornflower.  
______________________________________________________________________________

The dark figure had seen the whole thing unfold. As much as he’d wanted to get involved, it had not been the right time anyway, but the fact she and her brother had been honoring their dead was what kept him chained to his machinations.

He was not disappointed; however, in fact he was rather pleased to see respect given to loved ones who had been lost. Granted, he’d been somewhat responsible for their deaths ten years ago in an extremely indirect fashion, but even so he would not raise a paw to interrupt something as sacred as mourning loved ones.

However, the fact she was still so heavily tied to the family she was born to was also delaying things. He could not intervene until her loyalties to her family were to the point of being questioned that she could be swayed. He would resort to…unrefined methods…if he had to when the time was right, but for now he simply needed to wait. He found it amusing that this had been a plan ten years in the making, but only because of that one split-second decision of opportunity. There would be time to carry out the original plan, of course, but that was a given.  
Noticing his quarry and her companion leaving the graves, he too slunk back into the woods of the Everfree to await the time to continue the scheme.  
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“I’ll get it!” said a drowsy Fluttershy, throwing on a night robe despite the fact she had nothing to cover up before tuning on the lights and opening the door.

What she found was a pair of extremely exhausted individuals. Namely, Iron Will in a scratched up latex sneaking suit, and Angel Bunny on his shoulder looking like he’d gone to war.

“Ohmygosh, what happened!?” inquired a concerned Fluttershy, trying to imagine what could have happened and completely overlooking the fact Angel had been out at night without her permission.

Hazily, Iron Will replied “It’s a loooooooong story, ma’am, one that involves a pack of angry timberwolves, a needle gun, and wolf traps being operated by the most drunken goats who ever lived!”

He then proceeded to pass out, falling right on top of her doorstep. Angel, still on the big guy’s shoulders, went down with him. It was only then Fluttershy noted Iron Will’s two goat partners looking drunk out of their minds and leaning on the fence near her mailbox.

All the poor pegasus could do was raise an eyebrow and go “Wha?”


	9. Book1 Ch.9 Revenge of the Bumpuses

Chapter 9: Revenge of the Bumpuses

The moment she woke up, Applejack had a feeling it was going to be a long day. While she had explained her previous behavior as being to blame on the natural functions of a female’s reproductive system, she actually hadn’t had gone through her time of the month. But it appeared to her that karma was making her pay for her lies now, because there was no question about what was going on. Applejack was going through that monthly hell that all females must endure, for real this time.

Normally, this wasn’t a problem for the farm pony. Sure, she generally had the soured attitude and the cramps and other fun things like every other mare, but outside of the general things females felt during that pleasant timespan Applejack tended to get through them okay. What the issue was this time was that she was going to have to grin and bear it like nothing was going on in that spot between her hind legs. She couldn’t dare make it obvious to anypony else, especially her friends since them seeing her tense up from “those” cramps would expose those lies and she really did not want to try making up another explanation while going through the joys of marehood.

Crawling out of bed, the suffering mare did her best to clean herself up and get ready for the day. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need to go into town for at least the rest of the week. Her friends would be worried, certainly, but there Applejack could hide behind the mountain of work needing to be done on the farm and just avoid telling the real story instead of inventing lies. Frankly, she was still amazed they had believed her reasoning about why she’d somehow ended up in a place she truly did not like to eat food she habitually shunned.

Luckily for her, breakfast was a manageable affair, and the taste of apples appeared to at least be holding steady for now and not falling. Unluckily for her, she was informed that Granny needed her to go to the town market to pick up some exotic fruits like lemons and bananas. Already holding a strained smile because Granny had asked AJ right in the middle of a cramp, there was little the poor pony could do but agree. She just prayed that nopony would notice her act.

However, on her way out to Ponyville, her faithful dog Winona had still been sleeping on a nice comfy spot on the ground, and Applejack couldn’t resist taking a moment to rub her pet’s head before continuing on. Winona had enjoyed the feeling, as it woke her up, but the moment Applejack moved on the dog smelled something extremely alarming. The only problem was it appeared to be coming from Applejack, but concerning what Winona thought the smell was it was an impossible truth. As the smell was fading, Winona just shook her head and decided to say good morning to the rest of the Apple Family. She was the only dog in town Applejack would not be trying to run from by the end of the day.  
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“Thank you for the tea, Miss Fluttershy, it is extremely delicious!”

Iron Will took another sip of the tea the yellow pegasus had put out for him and his assistants. It was very, very good. Which was something Iron Will had very badly needed considering how far south last night’s little hunting expedition had gone.

“So, um, if it’s not too much to ask…” began Fluttershy, worried that the minotaur would suddenly launch into another one of his self-help speeches or slogans.

“Let me guess, you want to know why Iron Will, his assistants, and that bunny showed up at your door last night and needed you to bandage them up?” replied Iron Will. Indeed, while injuries from the untold event had been minor, there had still been plenty of cuts and bruises that needed some TLC from the hospitable mare all around.

“Well, yes, pretty much.”

Readjusting his posture for a better position, Iron Will launched into a _very_ embellished tale about how after besting a manticore with his bare hands in single combat, he allied himself with the bunny who had been watching and together the two launched into battle against a rabid pack of timberwolves who had magically appeared. After defeating all of them, the victorious duo had left the forest to find Willy and nilly already drunk in celebration, and together they all went to Fluttershy’s cottage as they had expelled too much energy to make it back to the hotel.

In reality, the only true part was Iron Will besting the manticore, and it was mostly out of sheer dumb luck as the manticore ended up punching itself in the face while trying to copy Iron Will. The moment the manticore was down for the count, Angel as “Rambun” immediately launched himself at Iron Will, attaching himself to the minotaur’s face and repeatedly trying to beat him into submission with the nunchucks. It was a vain attempt, as the muscular half-bovine just pulled the raging rabbit off his face and was probably going to crush Angel with one hand when both of them realized the circle of timberwolves that had shown up and surrounded them, attracted by the commotion. Making an emergency truce, the two then engaged a seemingly infinite number of wooden wolves. Angel for his part actually fared decently, his small size and liberal use of the needle gun helping keep off the giant lumbering lycans when he wasn’t trying to kick them in the snout. Iron Will was also fairly handy, his tough muscular build proving impervious to any deep wounds and giant hands crippling many an enemy by simply crushing their limbs into splinters. But in the end the tow had to retreat in the face of even more timberwolves and eventually found themselves at “base camp” where Willy and Nilly appeared to be trying to sing some kind of bar room dirge, an empty bottle of high grade alcohol near them. They quickly snapped out of their drunken stupor long enough to realize the approaching onslaught of wolves, and the group ran for their lives (except Angel, who had taken to being on IW’s shoulder) lest they become timberwolf chow. Fluttershy’s cottage was the closest thing they could find to shelter, but the wolves had long since given up the hunt by the time they reached her residence.

Fluttershy, for her part, might not see things as clearly as others, but even the heavy embellishment of the minotaur’s story didn’t cover the fact Angel obviously had gotten the inspiration to go all one-bunny army from _Ponirambo_ , which in turn answered why the pegasus had kept finding it in the VCR. After giving Angel a very telling dose of The Stare to let him know just how much he was in trouble, she turned to Iron Will and asked “But that still doesn’t explain why you were in the forest.”

“Ah, yes, that. Iron Will was in the forest so he could hunt werewolves.”

“W-werewolves?!” cried Fluttershy. While she did not relish her memories of Flight Camp, she somehow never could get them out of her head in full clarity. The mention of werewolves brought back a somewhat not-so-traumatic memory of when Rainbow Dash had been going on about some kind of creature that was a pony by day, but at night was a filly-eating wolf monster. She was not comfortable with the idea that Iron Will, who even now still intimidated her, was now hunting them for some reason.

Completely oblivious to his host’s reaction, Iron Will continued on, “Yeah, it’s part of an ancient mate finding ritual we minotaurs have, and the male who first brings a werewolf’s corpse to the king will be engaged to the princess as well as given a dukedom. Personally, while Iron Will doesn’t mind becoming somepony everypony should know, this whole thing is really just so his parents will get off his back for doing what he loves instead, which is motivational speaking to help others be more assertive.”

He then realized just who his host was. Shocked, he made a rare switch to addressing himself in the first person; “Oh, right, you got to experience my self-help first hand. Look, that whole payment thing is beneath us, right? I’m sorry if you’ve been worried the whole reason I’m even here is to try and get you to pay for something you didn’t like.”

Visibly, Fluttershy indicated she had no such thoughts whatsoever. Internally, she mentally took a sigh of relief, because the possibility he wanted to still be paid had been very present in her mind. It was, ironically, the minotaur’s own assertiveness training that helped her keep up appearances.

Pleased that the pegasus didn’t think he was grubbing for money, he slipped back to third person, “Good! Anyway, Iron Will didn’t expect to actually find any werewolves here in the Everfree, so last night was meant to be a practice run in hunting some timberwolves. Which is ironic, come to think of it, considering the whole plan involved leading those things back to where Iron Will came in so they could fall into traps.”

“Wait,” interrupted the animal caretaker, “if you had traps set out for the timberwolves and led them into it, but afterwards you four came here instead of tending to the traps…what happened to the timberwolves in those traps?”

A short distance away, some timberwolves had grown tired of trying to escape from the traps they’d unluckily fallen into and now lazed around waiting for somebody to come and release them. Some of them were even chatting with each other in the language only known to timberwolves;

“So, Barkley, when do you think we’re gonna get let loose from these things?

“Beats me, Birch. Maybe running those weirdoes off wasn’t that smart an idea seeing as how we’ve been trapped here for hours.”

They didn’t have long to wait, as at that moment a very determined Fluttershy landed in front of them, leaving a very surprised Iron Will back at her cottage only seconds before.  
______________________________________________________________________________

As Sandalwood made her way around the market, she marveled at the quality of the local goods. While most of it was produce, there were some handicraft stalls with wares originating outside Ponyville and sometimes even Equestria itself. Oh, how she wished she could spoil herself a little and buy some of the fancy wall decorations from a vendor who appeared to originate from Saddle Arabia. Alas, she could not, for while she had decided to live in Ponyville due to the surprising and lucrative demand for her aromatherapy services at the spa, she was still living out of a suitcase in a hotel room. The housing market in Ponyville had jumped between her initial research and actually arriving at the town (something about property values going up due to how it was where the element bearers all lived), so she’d have to live without the comforts of a place to herself for a little while longer until she could-

“Hey, Sandalwood!”

Turning to see the source of the voice, she found herself face to face with Lyra, her partner in crime when it came to the human conspiracy scene. “Hey, Lyra, what are you doing here?”

“Not much, just looking for decorations to put up in my room.”

“Lucky” mock-grumbled Sandalwood, “at least you have a room to decorate, I’m still stuck in a hotel until something opens up here in town.”

“Really, you don’t have a place of your own? I’m sure there’s plenty of homes in the eastern section of town that-“

“No, Lyra, the problem isn’t availability, it’s the pricing! I’m still a few bits short of being able to put a down payment on anything.” As if to illustrate her point, Sandalwood dramatically took some bitcoins from her purse and shook them in front of Lyra before unceremoniously dropping them back into the dark unknown.

“Actually, I may know something that could help you out until then.” Seeing Sandalwood’s face perk up, Lyra took it as a cue to continue. “Bon-Bon’s told me that she wants to move out and get her own place with Chocolate Chip, he proposed to her not too long ago so I expect they’ll want some ‘private together time’ if you know what I mean. Since that leaves me with half a flat being unused I’d be more than happy to share the rent with you.”

“That sounds great! Although I wouldn’t be surprised if she just kicks you out instead as payback for all the insanity you’ve caused her over the years.”

Acting as if Sandalwood just slapped her, Lyra overdramatically exclaimed “How could you even imply such a thing?! You know very well Bonnie and I are so madly in love with each other that the fact you even think we could be split up is just…ah!”

Sandalwood couldn’t help but crack up at Lyra’s theatrics, sputtering out “What, does Chocolate Chip like threesomes or something?” This in turn got Lyra into a giggling fit, both mares ending up having to hold each other for support.

It was then Sandalwood smelled it. As an aromatherapist, she generally had a much better sense of smell than the average pony. While it was an invaluable asset for her profession, it also had some side effects of amplifying bad smells to a degree most ponies were blessed to never be able to experience. But it also sometimes picked up smells ponies normally shouldn’t ever be able to detect, which is what alerted her to the developing situation as she tried to find the source from where the offending scent originated.

“Hey, Lyra, why is Mayor Mare’s dog following Applejack?”

Still guffawing at her own implied lesbianism, Lyra turned to see what Sandalwood was talking about. “I dunno, but that certainly is weird. Actually, I don’t think it’s just the mayor’s dog following her…”

Indeed, as the two ponies watched the orange mare make her way through the market, she was for some reason being followed by a growing assembly of dogs from all over town.  
______________________________________________________________________________

This had to be the strangest trip to the market Applejack had ever taken. She was far from oblivious to the pack of hounds following her, but initially it had just been a few of them, so choosing ignorance the Stetson-wearing pony continued her business of grocery shopping for Granny. Then the group of dogs got bigger. And bigger. And most noticeably all of them were male. Now concerned as to why she was being followed by almost every male dog in town, her “special” complications now completely insignificant in comparison, she seemed to be spending more time looking behind her at the mobile dog display seemingly drawn by magnets to her every movement instead of examining food.

It was also getting the attention of all the other ponies in the marketplace, as everything seemed to just grind to a halt either from just gawking or the gang of mutts pushing their way through ponies in their way. Applejack could feel a nagging sensation slowly build up from all the attention, probably another side effect from being a werewolf as attention to her for a long period of time was not good. She’d so hoped this day would have not involved being the center of attention, but now every pony and every dog in the area was focused on her. Reaching the final vendor and quickly snatching up some cherries and just dumping the exact total in front of the confused vendor, Applejack was ready to leave the market…

…when she came face to face with yet another group of dogs from all over town. Except here they were all female. And very clearly angry at the pony for some reason. For a few tense seconds, not a soul dared to move, pony or canine, as the herd of female hounds drilled into the worried Applejack with their stares. Then as if controlled by a single entity, the entire group of them charged forward in attack.

Out in public, Applejack had to fight hard not to reveal her own canine side, but that didn’t stop her from bolting the hell out of there with her saddlebags flapping all about. Some food was probably not going to make it intact like the bananas, but Applejack would gladly buy replacements with her own spending money for Granny if need be as her top concern right now was escape. For now it wasn’t just the females who surged forward but the males as well, drawn to Applejack for reasons she couldn’t fathom while she concentrated on just trying to lose them.

As Applejack ran off towards the center of town, Lyra and Sandalwood just stood in confusion like all the other ponies still in the market at what just happened. Then the two mares looked at each other with knowing smiles as they ran off to their own goal. Nopony noticed, all of them still recovering from one of the strangest events in recent Ponyville history - _recent_ meaning since the previous week, anyway.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash was among the ponies who didn’t comprehend what was happening. She’d been on her way to the library to return _Daring Do and the Philosopher’s Legacy_ (a book she thought more than made up for the failure that was the previous novel) when she spied a familiar orange blur racing through Ponyville and being followed by every single dog in town save, ironically, Applejack’s own dog Winona.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Rainbow pulled a few aerial maneuvers until she was able to fly up to her athletic rival and maintain speed in order to converse.

“Applejack, what in Equestria are you-“

“No time to talk! Get Fluttershy! Maybe she’ll sort this out somehow!”

Sensing the desperation in the earth pony’s voice, Rainbow immediately gained altitude and flew off to Fluttershy. Applejack had to figure that if there was anypony who could stop this mess, it was Fluttershy.

However, the sound of an engine rumble suddenly made itself heard, along with the sound of two shouting mares coming from behind Applejack. As the farmer turned onto Ponyville’s widest road with the entire canine population of the town proper giving chase, the mysterious machine came into view.

“Applejack, get on!” shouted Sandalwood, who was at the front of the machine. Applejack immediately recognized it as matching the rough description of a car as told through Apple Bloom, but unlike the ramshackle wreck still in the Apple Family barn this car was much more built up. It looked nothing like a cart, with four rubber-treaded wheels propelling the creation forward while the goggles-wearing Sandalwood was in what appeared to be the driver’s seat, clutching the steering wheel. As the vehicle came further into view, Applejack could make out Lyra in the back, powering the engine with her magic.

_Great_ , thought Applejack _, it’s that cider making machine back for revenge!_  
  
But with the dogs gaining, and the road’s end fork rapidly approaching, there was no choice for Applejack. With a combination of rodeo training and werewolf-granted reflexes, she leaped from the street and towards the car. She almost didn’t make it, landing on the back panel of the vehicle and would have slipped off had Lyra not caught her with telekinesis and sat her down in the front seat with Sandalwood.

“Wh-what is this thing?!” shouted Applejack, not feeling completely safe in an unknown machine distantly related to two things that had caused her nothing but trouble.

“This is the car your sister and friends tried to replicate!” Sandalwood shouted back, a bit of pride in her voice, before suddenly turning the wheel hard to the right. Responding immediately, the car made the turn at the fork and was heading down a much narrower road, big enough for the vehicle but small enough that the ensemble of canines was suddenly being forced through a choke point.

“And now to test my theory!” declared the aromatherapist before giving a hoof gesture to Lyra. Having received the message, the unicorn then triggered a hinged trough attached to the back of the vehicle. A mix of stinkweed, bog myrtle, and lilacs spilled out into the street behind the car just in time for it to meet the approaching wave of dogs. The strange smelling mix had an immediate effect, as the dogs were now seemingly blindsided and the few stragglers slowly peeled off their pursuit as whatever they were chasing that involved Applejack was now lost to them.

“Ah don’t know what ya’ll did, but Ah thank ya for it!” said Applejack, relieved that.

“Don’t thank us yet, you still need to explain what the hell just happened back there!” replied Sandalwood.

“But Ah don’t know what-“

“Then you know something connected to what just happened, because if my guess is correct, and I know it is because that ‘aroma bomb’ Lyra dropped back there worked, there’s something very wrong going on with you and for the sake of my olfactory sensors I’m going to find out what it is!”

Applejack could only gulp in worry as her rescuers-turned-captors drove their vehicle off to a location that the farm pony really did not want to go.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Fluttershy was horrified at the scene Rainbow led her to. Everywhere there were dogs along the street, most of them looking confused and forlorn with some rubbing their noses like something was agitating their ability to smell, while the majority of the females just looked like they were dumped by their boyfriends. As she landed to immediately survey the situation, she had to ask “what exactly happened here?”

All Rainbow could do was shrug, “I dunno, before I went to fetch you it was just Applejack running down this street with the entire mutt population in town giving chase. Even AJ didn’t know what was going on.”

Fluttershy did not give an immediate response as she began to tend to the dogs. For the most part they were all fine, just exhausted from having run so hard. But it was the ones who had something wrong with their noses that got Fluttershy’s attention. Calling upon her unique powers of animal communication beyond what normal ponies could accomplish, she learned that the male dogs had been chasing some kind of alluring scent. The female dogs had also smelled it, but had instead found it disgusting and “problematic”, the exact rationale of what problems the smell caused them remained unclear.

Or at least it had until Fluttershy detected the “aroma bomb” down the street. While the dumped pile from the car had fallen to pieces, as to not leave a giant pile of environmental waste in a public walkway, the odd smell lingered. Taking in a good sniff, Fluttershy had to wonder why this specific mix was needed as it was apparently designed to negate a certain other smell. But having unknowingly reached the same conclusion as Sandalwood through means of animal knowledge, Fluttershy couldn’t make sense of what seemed to be the truth.

RD swooped down to land next to her fillyhood friend, “Fluttershy, do you have any clue what happened here?”

Strangely, the normally timid pegasus looked at her rainbow hued counterpart dead in the eyes as she replied, “I…I think I do, but it just doesn’t make sense. Because between the scent still lingering here and what the dogs told me, the whole chase was due to the male dogs thinking Applejack was…”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
  
 _“…pumping out dog pheromones!”_  
  
Both Lyra and Applejack had to step back in confusion and shock. Their current location was the shed Lyra had converted into a garage in which to construct the car, where the trio had arrived through a back way as to avoid crowds. But the moment the garage was closed to the outside world, Sandalwood immediately pressed questions to Applejack.

“Ah’m doin _what_ now?”

“You heard me: dog pheromones. I couldn’t be sure when I first smelled them back at the market, but I made that quick little concoction of plants to be dumped and specifically block out that scent to those dogs. Doesn’t work on ponies, sadly, since I can still smell them and from here I can most certainly say they are coming from you. Those dogs were chasing you because they thought you were, to put it bluntly, _a bitch in heat_!”

“I actually think I’m going to side with Applejack here in wondering just _what_ are you talking about?!” interjected a very confused Lyra, “I think I’m just having a problem where you’re implying a _mare_ is somehow producing the stuff that tells the males of a _completely different species_ that she wants to screw them, because that’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever heard! And I’ve heard strange - I believe in humans for Celestia’s sake!”

“Well I think they’re real, too, Lyra, and I know my theory sounds weird, but on top of everything else AJ here was done recently it’s pointing to something not being right about her.”

Applejack was about to try and reply, but Sandalwood looked her dead in the eye and silenced her before going in for the kill; “Ever since your recovery from that bite, you’ve demonstrated some extremely unusual behaviors. _One_ ; you easily fly off the hook and pin me to the wall at the spa with intentions to try and strangle me even though Rarity tells me you usually aren’t known for your anger, _two_ ; whatever you were momentarily distracted by at The Bannered Mare was most certainly NOT that chocolate mousse cake even though it was delicious, _three_ ; you somehow end up consuming half of a BLT at the Meatery even though you’re clearly not a meat eater, and _four_ ; you’re somehow pumping out chemicals that are inviting every male dog in the town to come and try to impregnate you with ample evidence to prove this despite how impossible that sounds. I’m also certain there are other signs as well that I either haven’t noticed or haven’t been around to notice, but what I’ve said should be enough to prove something is wrong with you Applejack, and you’re trying to hide it, aren’t you?”

Lyra just looked at Sandalwood with an expression best described as a mix between skeptical and having her jaw hit the floor. Applejack, on the other hand, was sweating up a storm and rapidly looking between Sandalwood and Lyra. There had to be some way out of this, some way she could-

_No_ , she thought, _Ah can’t hide it from them, Sandalwood already has me figured out already more or less._

Taking a sigh of defeat, Applejack looked at Lyra and Sandalwood with downcast eyes, pleading “Alright Sandalwood, you win. But please, what Ah’m about to reveal to you two, do _not_ tell anypony else, Ah beg of you. Especially mah family and the bearers, Ah’ll tell them when Ah feel the time is right, but they can’t know, not yet.”

Lyra and Sandalwood looked at each other before sharing a nod and looking back at Applejack. “Alright,” spoke Sandalwood, “we promise not to tell anypony else.”

“Ah want you two to Pinkie Promise.”

Sandalwood raised an eyebrow, “Pinkie Promise? The hell is tha-“ Lyra had come over and began to whisper into Sandalwood’s ear, the sign of clarification and understanding evident on the tan pony’s face. “Oh, so _that’s_ a Pinkie Promise, okay. *ahem*Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye”. Lyra followed suit with her own Pinkie Promise.

Satisfied, Applejack braced herself for her first transformation in front of other ponies. “Alright, ya’ll might wanna be sittin’ down fer this…”

Lyra sat down immediately; she’d seen enough crazy shit involving anypony who was a bearer of an Element to heed their warnings. Sandalwood was more skeptical; “Don’t worry, I think I’ll be-WHAT THE FU-?!”

Neither Sandalwood nor Lyra could have prepared to see what was occurring before them. From their point of view, Applejack was somehow physically morphing herself in ways foreign to pony understanding from her regular form as a pony into something that still somewhat resembled a pony, but was clearly also very wolf like in appearance. The shock caused Sandalwood to trip in the process of backpedalling, landing on her keister while still scrambling to get as far away as she could.

The silence was so thick it could be cut with a knife once the transformation was done. Lyra and Sandalwood were still trying to comprehend that a real, living legend had just occurred before them. Werewolves were the stuff of myths, of stories told to tell kids, but they weren’t supposed to exist. Yet here was one now, Applejack having explained everything about her odd behavior in one fell swoop while raising so many more.

Then, in a slightly raspier but still very distinctly accented voice, the creature spoke;

“Ah said ya should have been sittin’ for that, Sandalwood.”


	10. Book1 Ch.10 Protein And Perfume

Chapter 10: Protein and Perfume

If there was anything Applejack stood to have gained from revealing she was a werewolf to the two ponies in front of her, it was that she could slightly breathe easier about the whole thing. Sure, it was only letting in two ponies in on the secret, and neither of them were among her five closest friends, but it was a start.

“Th-this isn’t a joke, is it?” Lyra asked shakily, her perceptions of reality shattered after watching something out of her foalhood nightmares emerge from where Applejack had been standing just moments before. “Y-you’re actually a…a…”

“Werewolf? Ah’m pretty sure that’s what Ah am. What else could Ah be, a giant fat were-rabbit or somethin’?” replied Applejack with a toothy grin at her own joke to try and lighten the mood. Unfortunately, she’d forgotten her teeth became significantly scarier looking while in wolf form, so the attempt at humor was lost in the normal ponies just getting freaked out again.

While Lyra’s reaction to the teeth made her lose her voice, Sandalwood managed to find the ability to talk: “Is…is that whole transformation thing like, controllable, or something?”

“Ah think, usually Ah try and hold off on this until nighttime when Ah can let this side of me out without anypony knowin’. Ya’ll are the first ponies I’ve done that in front of, namely ‘cause Ah doubt ya’ll would’ve believed me if Ah’d told it straight up.”

“Okay, that’s…good, I guess. Erm, do you mind turning back to the pony you usually are? To be honest I’m trying really hard not to scream because it looks like a wolf is going to kill us.”

“What are ya…oh, right, sorry,” apologized the werewolf, immediately retracting her form back to that of the farm mare. While still extremely freaky and unnatural looking to Sandalwood and Lyra, the reverse wasn’t as horrifying as the first and the end result was much easier on the natural instincts.

But the truth was there, and both Lyra and Sandalwood glanced at each other nervously. They were now sworn into keeping a secret that, despite what could be presumed to be Applejack’s best intentions to keep herself on a collar, could end up destroying the town if not all of Equestria with a werewolf epidemic. But because they’d Pinkie Promised, they had no choice but to help Applejack keep her lycanthropy a secret from the entire town.

It was then Applejack’s stomach growled loudly, causing her to sit down on the floor out of hunger. Lyra then spoke, out of sheer curiosity: “So, um, as a werewolf, do you still eat like a pony or are the stories true in that you can only-“

“Ah’m not gonna eat ya, if that’s what you’re askin’!” Applejack snapped, her grouchiness due to the one issue she was having which wasn’t related to being a werewolf. “For yer information, Ah can still eat like a regular pony, but recently this whole werewolf thing has expanded mah tastes to include…” she trailed off at the end, unsure of how to word it.

Sandalwood, however, figured it out immediately; “The incident at The Meatery…you were drawn there because you were developing a taste for meat, but didn’t know it until too late, right?”

Applejack nodded sadly, “Ah guess, the whole thing is kinda fuzzy in mah head, all Ah can remember is that burger. Normally Ah don’t go anywhere near that kind of stuff, but just thinkin’ about that burger and how delicious Ah thought it was…let’s just say mah current hunger situation isn’t bein’ helped.”

To both Sandalwood and AJ’s surprise, Lyra seemed to perk up at what was being implied when she asked “You probably haven’t been able to have meat recently and could really go for some right now, couldn’t you?”

“Please don’t tease me about this, Ah haven’t had meat in a long while and it feels like Ah’m starving mahself to death despite trying to eat like Ah regularly used to an’ all…”

“I’m not teasing, Applejack, I just wanted to know. You two give me a moment; I might have something that could help you out.” Lyra then exited the converted shed to fetch whatever it was she was talking about

“Wait, Lyra eats meat?” asked Applejack to Sandalwood, worried that this human obsession of Lyra’s might have gone too far.

“Beats me, though if she does it would be a good thing to know since now I’m probably moving in with her soon,” answered Sandalwood, now concerned about her future housing plans.  
______________________________________________________________________________

At an impromptu meeting of friends at Golden Oaks, Twilight Sparkle was of the opinion Fluttershy had either gone insane or accidentally eaten hallucinogenic mushrooms. “Fluttershy, Applejack can’t have been emitting dog pheromones, it’s biologically impossible!”

Standing her ground, mostly out of concern for Applejack possibly undergoing a crisis of species association (to which she was far more accurate than she could have known at the time), Fluttershy was insistent on her points: “I never said Applejack was giving off those kinds of things, but whatever is going on with her somehow made the dogs think she was. Only problem is that I don’t know what else could have caused every dog in town to give chase unless they thought she was in he-“

“Oh, for Celestia’s sake Fluttershy!” said Rarity, cutting Fluttershy off, “Even though we don’t know what’s going on with Applejack, we shouldn’t be implying she’s lost control of her body such that it is somehow resorting to mating habits from before the creation of Equestria and is sending out signals to dogs to come around and, um, ‘get to know’ her hindquarters.”

Pinkie Pie, as usual, appeared to have no grasp about what anything was being discussed beyond simply “Applejack was chased by a horde of hounds through town,” instead throwing out her own wild theories such as; “Ooh! Ooh! Maybe the dogs just wanted to imitate Applejack by trying to herd her around town?”

Twilight, well accustomed to Pinkie’s antics, didn’t even bother looking at the hopping pony as she responded with a flat, “Not likely. Applejack is well-experienced with herding and would have tried to lure the dogs out of town for such an event, anyway.”

“And she certainly didn’t seem to know what was going on!” interjected Rainbow. “I know that all I saw was Applejack running as fast as she could and away from the giant mass of dog going after her at roughly the same speed, if not a little faster. When Fluttershy and I came back, only the dogs were there and a large, scattered mess of various kinds of plants.”

“From the way the dogs were acting, it was like the plants were intentionally dumped there to cover some kind of smell. They were rubbing their noses like they couldn’t use them at all,” Fluttershy added.

Twilight groaned. “This is getting us nowhere. We probably should figure out what happened to Applejack and get the answer from her, though I have a sneaking suspicion she’s been trying to hide something from us.”

“How can you imply such a thing, Twilight?!” cried Rarity, overdramatic as usual. “You _know_ how bad she is at lying - her status as the Element of Honesty notwithstanding - but what on Earth could she be trying to hide from us now? It’s certainly not as bad as the time she just up and took a job at a cherry sorting factory because she couldn’t come home without the money she promised the mayor.”

“Do you have any _other_ explanations for Applejack’s strange behavior now being topped off by every dog in town getting the hots for her?”

“Well, um…no, not really.”

“Thought so,” Twilight said with a grin, although the self-appreciative humor she had did little to reduce the fears of what truly could be cause for her friend’s strange incidents.  
______________________________________________________________________________

“What is _that_?!” asked a very disgusted Sandalwood. Lyra had returned, levitating what looked like a brown disc of…something… and encased inside a bun. Two such discs, actually. There was also a very healthy amount of cheese, lettuce, tomato, and reddish-brown strips inside the strange sandwich. Evidence of a very small bite having been taken of the assumed food-type thing was also visible.

“This, Sandalwood, is a double bacon cheeseburger. I got it from The Meatery some time ago, delivered and all ‘cause I didn’t want to go all the way out there. From my research, humans apparently love these things but I couldn’t even stomach one bite of it, so it’s been chilling in the freezer. Bon-Bon’s been wanting me to get rid of it, but I figure it’s still good to eat once I warm it up with a heating spell.”

Sandalwood could feel her lunch trying to come up when she moaned, “That has _got_ to be the most gut-wrenching thing I’ve -*HURK* ever seen! Just looking at it is mak-*URK*-ing me want to…oh Celestia give me a moment!”, quickly dashing off to find a restroom to relieve her innards.

Applejack, in contrast, stared at the burger as if hypnotized by it, drool coming out of her mouth. “Is…Is that fer me?”

Lyra nodded as she lit the meaty masterpiece up with her magic, warming it up, before putting it back on the plate. “I think you better eat it before poor Sandy gets back, or else she might end up tossing yesterday’s lunch as well.”

Within seconds Applejack was greedily chowing down on the double bacon cheeseburger. She was trying to be polite about it and not gorge herself like a pig in a trough, but here the fight against werewolf instincts was not in her favor and she wolfed it down, noisily and more than a bit disturbingly. Lyra had to look away. She knew Applejack wasn’t purposefully being this…animalistic…in eating but it was still unnerving.

“Oh, that was soooo good,” said the now sated werewolf, smacking her lips until she remembered where she was, “Uh, sorry…”

Just happy both Applejack’s immediate meat problem and disposing of what Bon-Bon called “the thing living in the freezer”, Lyra just gave the embarrassed earth pony a small smile “No biggie, I’m sure this werewolf thing is actually harder than you make it look. Now if I was a werewolf? I’d probably still be freaking out.”

**“Has that disgusting thing been removed yet?”** called out Sandalwood from behind the door leading into the adjoining flat.

“Yes, the offending foodstuffs has been consumed, it is safe to enter!” answered Lyra, prompting her future housemate candidate to re-enter the garage.

“Lyra, I’m not moving in here if there are more of those, just so you know!”

“Don’t worry, I’m sticking with tofu burgers. I’m not sure that if I was even human I could handle a diet of meat. Although if you think about it, we as an equine species should be able to eat meat, being that we’re technically omnivores and if the meat was sufficiently ground up enough that-”

“I’m not sure how you even managed to take a bite out of that thing! No way am I making something that vomit-inducing take a spot on my favorite foods list! Seriously, you’d have to be some kind of barbaric, savage monster to even like consuming-“

“Excuse me?!” interrupted the insulted werewolf.

Sandalwood then remembered why they all were in the garage in the first place and promptly apologized for indirectly calling Applejack a barbaric, savage monster for reasons beyond the orange mare’s control. Applejack easily forgave, but the truth was in Sandalwood’s words.

“Ah know you didn’t mean it, but ya’ll obviously know what werewolves are like, an’ that’s exactly what Ah’m trying to avoid. Originally Ah thought Ah’d gotten these new, weird habits of mine under control once Ah knew the truth, but as that scene out in town proved Ah possibly am just tryin’ to be normal fer a lost cause or somethin’.”

“What? That’s _horseshit_ and you know it, of all ponies!” declared Sandalwood. “I may still be new to Ponyville, but I know enough about the exploits of you and those five friends of yours to safely say any idea about you not beating this is well and truly wrong! You’re known for being the toughest and the most dependable of the group everypony in Equestria has nicknamed the “Mane Six,” giving up has never been an option for you, so why now?”

“Ya don’t understand, this whole werewolf thing can’t be cu-“

“Yeah, yeah, the whole ‘incurable curse’ or something like that. Read the book, watched the crappy movie, been there and done that. But don’t think of it as some kind of disease. Sure, it will bring about a lot of complications, I don’t even know how you’ll work out getting enough meat to satisfy those carnivorous tendencies, but you can keep this under control. Consider it a disability, of sorts, except I’m sure there are some benefits that go along with the downsides unlike most disabilities like a missing leg or being deaf. But the point is; you’re an Apple, and after everything I’ve heard your side of the family has had to go through a lot, yet you always end up recovering. How is this any different besides being a slightly taller hurdle for you to jump over?”

Applejack had to admit, Sandalwood had a point. Being a werewolf was going to be harder than she’d initially thought that night at Castle Everfree, but it could be manageable. At the very least Applejack had her sense of identity, unlike that one time Discord reversed it so she always lied. Only thing worse than that would be her cutie mark getting switched so she was doing something requiring talents she didn’t have, like making dresses or understanding high fashion.

“Yer right, Ah guess. But Ah don’t know if Ah can keep this a secret for long, Ah’ve already had to tell you two, how much longer until somepony else finds out and alerts the town? Ah can’t even walk around town right now, ‘cause apparently every dog in town either hates mah guts or wants to marry me!”

“Oh, I think I can help you with that. We just need to get to the spa without attracting attention, good thing it’s close by,” Sandalwood answered, a sly smile growing on her face.

“What’s that supposed to mean, exactly?” inquired a now worried Applejack. Her worry only increased when a similar smile appeared on Lyra’s face as the mint colored unicorn made it clear what was about to happen;

“Don’t worry, Applejack, I’m pretty sure you just got yourself a free aromatherapy session.”

Words could not describe how low Applejack’s heart sank. This was not going to end well for her one way or another.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Two hours later, the rest of the “Mane Six” had split up and were looking for their lost friend. So far no progress had been made, which was somewhat concerning, but regardless they pressed on.

Rarity, naturally, decided two hours of trotting around town was enough reason to go get a quick hooficure at the spa. While she was there, she could ask Lotus or Aloe if they’d seen Applejack anywhere. She would have also asked Sandalwood but today was her day off, which was a bit of a disappointment as she and Applejack seemed to be getting along quite well and the aromatherapist would have been the most likely of the spa ponies to know the location of the apple farmer.

_Hmm, now there’s an idea, getting Applejack to try out one of these aromatherapy sessions,_ thought Rarity, _Sandalwood knows how to make the whole thing simply divine and I bet after all Applejack’s been though she could use one._

So imagine her surprise as none other than Applejack was walking out of the spa, looking around as if she didn’t want to be followed, and then putting on the most fake smile possible when she realized Rarity was coming towards her.

“Applejack, there you are! You’ve had everpony worried sick after that whole thing with the dog chasing!”

“Ah, uh, did Ah now? Well, er, didn’t mean to cause a fuss.”

“Of course you didn’t, darling. But now that I’ve found you we need to…” Rarity then sniffed the air, “Are you wearing Chattelle No. 50? When did _you_ of all ponies start wearing top-tier perfumes?”

Applejack blanched. Of all the ponies who could have found her it had to be the one who knew the most about perfumes. Fancy ones at that. While the work mare usually didn’t mind perfumes, she had a special distaste for Chattelle No. 50 because it had been her mother’s favorite, and after the tragedy that claimed the apple parents the heartbroken filly couldn’t bear being anywhere near that specific perfume because of the memories it brought up. As an adult mare Applejack found the memories weren’t as bad, but Chattelle No. 50 was the one Sandalwood insisted would help cover up the smell of whatever it was Applejack’s body was doing to attract dogs.

“Sandalwood suggested Ah should try wearin’ some, ‘cause, er…”

"Oh, you don’t need to tell me, Applejack, I can already tell why. So...who's the stallion you got your eye on? Don't worry at all, darling, I'll be sure to be discreet."

In addition to the personal problems Applejack had with “Number 50,” the perfume carried one other social trait that was born simply out of how upper-class it was treated. When not worn by a married mare, the presence of the perfume implied the wearer wanted to make a very good impression on somepony they were interested in. This was an issue for Applejack, simply because there was nopony she was interested in at the moment.

"Well, uh, Ah’m not wearin’ it for that reason, actually…”

"Oh, really, Applejack, dear, but you can't fool me. So, perhaps, it's a mare you have your eye on, hmmm?"

"Oh for pete's sake, what is it with ya'll thinkin' Ah'm interested in females?!"

It was at that time Sandalwood exited the spa to try and lend some support to the mare who truly was doing a bad job at covering things up. “Oh, hey, Rarity! What are you doing here?”

“Hello, Sandalwood. Applejack here apparently caused some kind of a ruckus in town involving the entire dog population, so the others and I were going around looking for her, and now she tells me that you suggested she wear Chattelle No. 50 but won’t explain why. Maybe you would be willing to help me understand this, _strange_ change in her concern for outwardly impressions, hmm?”

Applejack glanced over at Sandalwood, the pleading for help clear in her eyes, while that big fake grin remained plastered to her face. Mentally,Sandalwood facehoofed, she hadn’t wanted to do this but it was either that or break a Pinkie Promise. And Lyra said breaking Pinkie Promises was just one rank above “die horribly” on the “things not to do EVER list.”

“Actually, she’s not wearing it for that kind of thing. It’s…actually because of a mistake I made.”

“A mistake?” asked Rarity, shocked at this sudden admittance of guilt for something, “But darling, your skills with perfumes and scents is unmatched! Whatever are you talking about, ‘making a mistake’ with those amazing talents of yours?”

“I asked Applejack here to come help me with an experimental new concoction that I could add to my inventory. However, while my cutie mark says I’m good with using scents and other aromatherapy materials, it doesn’t mean I’m a good alchemist. That whole business with the dogs? They thought they smelled natural dog hormones, the kind that signal when a female dog is in heat, but really it was my attempt at mixing chemicals and testing it on Applejack here that cause the whole mess.”

Applejack made a mental note to send some free apple pies Sandalwood’s way. It was clear how much pride the pony had in her very unique talents with aromatherapy, so to take a minor fall for something she didn’t do was really sticking her neck out here.

“Really? I didn’t even know that kind of thing could be done. As for you, Applejack, apparently you’re due for some good luck after all of these mishaps and such, no?”

Applejack’s grin turned from fake to real at that comment; “Ah reckon Ah do, all this crazy nonsense is makin’ me think Ah stepped in some of that Poison Joke again and this is all a result of that.” In reality, Applejack knew perfectly well she hadn’t stepped in any Poison Joke, she’d learned to avoid those patches of humiliation during her midnight werewolf runs in the Everfree.

“Well, since you’re all spruced up thanks to Sandalwood, let’s go find the others and let them know you’re okay.” With a nod from Applejack and bidding Sandalwood a good day, Rarity turned and trotted off.

Applejack was about to leave, but Sandalwood stopped her. “Look, Applejack, I’m willing to try and help you keep this werewolf thing a secret, and I’m sure Lyra doesn’t have much of a choice but to help as well, but I think I can speak for the both of us in that we’d prefer to not get involved as much as possible. Just…just hang in there, I’m sure things will improve from here.”

“Thanks, Sandalwood, that means a lot.” Applejack then hurried to catch up with her fashionista friend. As Sandalwood watched the two walk off towards town, she couldn’t help but wonder just how deep a rabbit hole she’d inadvertently gotten herself and Lyra sucked into by agreeing to help hide a werewolf in plain sight of everypony.


	11. Book1 Ch.11 CMCWH...Y? Part 1

Chapter 11: Cutie Mark Crusaders Wolf Hunters!...Yay? - Part 1

Once Applejack was finally able to plop down onto the living room couch, she let out a sigh of relief she didn’t know had been waiting to come out. Between having to explain why she was wearing high-class perfume to not only her closest friends but then practically half the town _and then_ her own family (along with why the bananas were slightly beaten up), she had no plans to leave the farm anytime soon. At this point she was sure this whole “dog hormones” thing was tied into the cramps she’d started feeling again, so until she could go around town without having her rear quarters drive her crazy and not have dogs wanting to make her their marefriend, the farm was the only safe place for her. The perfume applications would also have to be done for at least another week, as recommended by Sandalwood who had just outright given her a bottle of Chattelle No. 50, in order to be sure the whole dog chasing thing never happened again.

But then she let out a groan as the realization of the scope of her problems made it clear how much trouble she was in. No doubt she’d still be radiating hormones in her wolf body and it would probably end up attracting timberwolves and other things she really did not want to get to know intimately. That posed a problem as she was going to need a good night run within the next week, but with her special spot still being disagreeable she couldn’t risk going back into the Everfree.

_Ah wonder if Ah could just get away with runnin’ around the farm?_ she pondered. Sure, she knew the lay of the land that the farm covered like the back of her hoof, and it wouldn’t be as exciting as running through the unpredictable Everfree, but it was better than nothing. She just had to take care to not disturb the other residents of the farm, if they got alarmed and reported in there was a wild predator, which they’d probably think was a timberwolf, it could be bad for her.

Her mind made up, she got back onto her hooves and went off to go do some more work around the farm, of which there never was a shortage of.  
______________________________________________________________________________

The bell on top of the schoolhouse clanged back and forth, as if to tell the world school was done for the day and to prepare for the army of fillies and colts to return home where they would create much trouble. The young ponies all began to disperse from the school, separating into various groups of friends and siblings as they went their separate ways for the day. Naturally, this meant the CMC came together to plan their next misadventure in the eternal quest for their bum marks.

“Hey, Apple Bloom, think we might be able to fix up the car we built and try for car-racing cutie marks?” eagerly asked Scootaloo, who seemed to like the speed of the car a bit too much.

“Ah’d rather not. After lookin’ at it when Applejack and Big Mac weren’t around, the front axle’s broken an’ there’s no way we could secretly fix that. Sorry, Scoot, but Ah think our car drivin’ days are over.”

The young pegasus nickered in annoyance, once again relegated back to her scooter for wheeled speed. Sweetie Belle, on the other hand, proposed a different idea: “What if we tried being armoatheparists? Rarity and Applejack seem to have become good friends with that new pony who works at the spa. Plus, she did suggest we try making the car, so maybe she’ll be willing to help us again?”

“Aromathera-whatits?” inquired a confused Scootaloo.

“Armoatherapits!” Squeaked Sweetie Belle, “From what Rarity told me, they’re ponies who use all kinds of things to generate smells and stuff to help relax ponies! Apparently it’s really popular at the spa and I’m sure she would appreciate some help!”

“Ugh, that doesn’t sound awesome at all, but I guess I’ll go along. Not like I have anything better to do.”

With two crusaders in agreement and one reluctantly participating, it was decided that they were going to get their cutie marks in aromatherapy.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Sandalwood was in good spirits. After the whole debacle involving Applejack revealing she was a werewolf, the day had gotten much better for Ponyville’s newest resident. As it turned out, Chocolate Chip already had a place of his own and Bon-Bon was in the process of moving out. She was pleased to hear Sandalwood would be taking her place in the flat, as she’d secretly doubted Lyra would find anypony willing to deal with the local human-obsessed pony to the point of living with her. While Bon-Bon was back at the flat and taking the last of her things, Sandalwood was off to the hotel where she’d get her own things and check out before moving into her new shared home.

“Hey, Sandalwood!”

Turning her head to see who was calling for her, she paled slightly as the source of the voice was one of three fillies running towards her. The same three who had expressed interest in the car project she and Lyra had built, then later built their own and crashed it into the forest. While the threat of Applejack throttling her into a wall was mostly gone, Sandalwood really didn’t want anything to do with what mishaps this trio was going to get into next.

“Oh, um, hello girls. Can I help you with something?”

“We want to try getting our cutie marks in armorahethrapy and we were wondering if you could teach us how to be aromatherapists!” said Sweetie Belle.

Sandalwood, who had been trotting at a light pace, came to a dead halt upon hearing the CMC’s plans of becoming aromatherapists. Looking at them incredulously, she had to wonder what gave them the idea they could become the same thing she was.

“This is a joke, right? Please tell me it’s a joke.”

The three fillies, one of each type of pony, shook their heads in unison.

_They’re actually serious about this?_ Thought Sandalwood, I _know Rarity told me her little sister and her friends could do some silly things in trying to find their talents, but really? Aromatherapy?_  
  
“You three seriously want to learn how to be aromatherapists like me?

Three nodding heads, although the pegasus whose name Sandalwood didn’t know seemed considerably less enthusiastic than the other two fillies.

Much to the CMC’s disappointment, Sandalwood shook her head; “Sorry, girls, but being an aromatherapist isn’t something you just try and do. I’ve always been interested in working with perfumes and scents and stuff, so I was happy when I got my cutie mark and discovered performing aromatherapy was my special talent. It’s actually very complicated to make the right mixtures and applications if you don’t know what you’re doing and isn’t something most ponies can learn.”

Somehow seeing a ray of hope where there really was none, Apple Bloom tried to reason with Sandalwood; “but what if we’re not ‘most ponies’ and we can be aormaparathists like you?”

Sandalwood shook her head again; “Even if you three are, which I honestly doubt, I wouldn’t make a good teacher. Most of what I know has been either instinctual with my talents or learned through years of trial and error. I once made my mother; Burnin’ Sarcasm, smell like rotten eggs for a week when I gave her some perfume I’d made that was supposed to have been the scent of vanilla. I eventually got the mix right, but it took months of experimentation and hard work. From what I can tell, you three think just trying to be aromatherapists will get you your marks, but that’s not how it works. You just need to be patient, your marks will come in time when you realize what you’ve been good at all your life but never noticed before.”

“But that’s what everypony says!” cried the trio in unison.

“With good reason, I’ll bet,” Sandalwood responded, unmoved by the CMC’s desperation to rush things that could not be rushed. “I also have a lot of rare and expensive things, not the kind of materials beginners want to start out with. Let me...um...order some basic materials and you three can come back later and try, okay? Now, I apologize but I really need to go get my things and check out of my hotel before the clerk charges me for staying another night when I’m not.” And with that, Sandalwood bid the CMC’s goodbye and trotted off rather quickly in the direction of the hotel.

“Well, so much for _that_ idea,” Scootaloo moaned, secretly glad that she’d never risk learning her special talent was making other ponies smell better. “What are we going to do now?”

A thought came to Sweetie Bell’s mind: “I dunno, maybe we could try something nopony within a thousand years has tried, like raising the sun? Ponies apparently could do that before the princesses came around to do it for them, according to the Hearths Warming legends.”

Scootaloo was not amused, “Yeah, we’re gonna raise the sun. Do I look like the daughter of Princess Celestia to you? Am I secretly hiding my true identity as ‘Princess Scootaloo’ by magically rendering a horn on my head invisible and pretending I can’t fly?”

“Um…yes?” Rarity’s little sister replied, her face as straight as a plank of lumber.

Scootaloo just stared at Sweetie Belle, rolling her eyes when the tiny unicorn couldn’t keep up the straight face and began giggling.

Apple Bloom once again acted as leader in trying to get the Crusaders back on track: “C’mon girls, we need to come up with some new ideas for getting cutie marks, Ah don’t know about you two but Ah don’t wanna be a blank flank all mah life. We need to have some kinda brainstormin’ session so we can have a whole list of possible talents we could try.”

“What about a sleepover at the clubhouse?” proposed Sweetie Belle, ever a fan of sleepovers. “It’s the weekend, so we won’t have to worry about school and stay up night to come up with new ideas!”

“Yeah!” agreed the flightless pegasus. “Mom and Dad probably won’t mind having the night to themselves instead of looking after me, they’re always so busy around this time of year.” Scootaloo’s parents, Flower Shower and Slipstream, were evaluators for weather teams all over Equestria. As a result of their always being away at their jobs, they tried to spend as much of their free time with their single daughter and were usually not around. While there were a few adults who knew them and watched Scootaloo when they weren’t around, they were so rarely seen around town that rumors had started that Scootaloo was a runaway or an abandoned orphan.

“That sounds like a great idea, Ah’ll go ask Granny if it’s alright!”  
______________________________________________________________________________

Applejack tried to keep her grumbling to herself. Tonight’s running plans were complicated now not only by trying to not wake the rest of the farm up, but now she had to contend with her sister and friends sleeping over at their clubhouse in a secluded part of the farm. A place she’d wanted to go to because it was the only place on the farm with trees located close enough to best simulate the challenges of the Everfree. Maybe she still could, but unless the Crusaders eventually conked out before she reached there at night she’d have to scratch plans to visit that area of the farm until another night. She was sure the normal fields of apple trees should be sufficient in that situation.

However, another issue Applejack found herself having with the Crusaders on the farm was invoking some major déjà vu feelings she really didn’t like. For one reason or another, Scootaloo suddenly looked really, really delicious to her. As if she was a giant, walking chicken who was both young and supple. A walking chicken dinner just ripe for the-

_No no no no no._ Applejack rebuked herself as she went off to go offload more harvested apples, _She is_ not _on the menu. Period. Ah’m gonna control this werewolf thing, not let it control me!_

  


Meanwhile, at the CMC treehouse, the three fillies were getting ready for their sleepover. Naturally, as is the case with all sleepovers, they had no plans to actually fall asleep. After all, this was supposed to be their big planning night where they would come up with an inexhaustible list of things to try so that they could gain their cutie marks.

“Hey, maybe we’ll get our cutie marks in having sleepovers!” Sweetie Belle chirped happily.

“Sweetie, if that was our special talent then we would have gotten our marks back when we were having a sleepover at Fluttershy’s,” Scootaloo retorted.

“Oh, right…”

Applebloom then poked her head out of the upper floor observatory; “Hey, girls come up here and take a look through the telescope, the sunset is really somethin’ to see!”

A mad scramble between a pegasus and unicorn shortly followed as they ascended their clubhouse fortress to gaze through the telescope. Celestia’s sunset truly was a sight to see as the duty of maintaining the sky fell to Luna once more. Once the night had settled in and Big Mac had come by to check in on the Crusaders before the rest of the Apples went to bed, the trio “went to bed” before checking to see all the lights in the house go out. Upon that moment, the three young ponies got back up and began their true mission of planning their future endeavors. But their next attempt at cutie marks was something they would never have seen coming.  
______________________________________________________________________________

She had to. Feeling the sensation of her body changing into a more feral form, Applejack could not resist the urges of the night. It was hard enough winning the battle for her mind to not direct her into the forest, because she _really_ didn’t want to know the effect she’d have on the wildlife in there at the moment.

Making her usual leap from the bedroom window to the ground, she quickly darted off to take cover. Couldn’t risk anypony seeing her as she began formulating her plans for the night. She’d start off easily enough, bobbing and weaving through the apple trees. Them maybe a few laps around the practice rodeo track. Finally, if she was lucky, Applebloom and her friends would have fallen asleep and she could run through that area for the greatest thrills. Once done, she could finally go back to her room and shift back, and nopony would be the wiser. Sure, there was the risk of waking up the other residents of the farm, but the risk was part of the thrill, the adrenaline high that Applejack’s werewolf side seemed to crave almost as much as meat.

Her plan set, she quickly dashed off to begin her substitute running course, starting with the groves of apple trees. It wasn’t anything too challenging, but trying to imagine more random obstacles in her way to dodge made things a lot better. But what she hadn’t predicted was her ability to go flat out. Without obstacles and the trees neatly spaced out from one another, she could open her throttle and rush as fast as she could with the source of her family’s income rushing by on both sides.

Then she made a critical mistake. Overcome by the adrenaline, she couldn’t stop herself for letting out an excited howl. Without the thick, dense cover of the Everfree, she sounded very much like a timberwolf who had trespassed onto Sweet Apple Acres looking for an easy meal to steal. So she not only woke up all the other animals on the farm but also Big Mac and Granny. The run hadn’t even really begun and she was already in hot water.

“Damnit damnit damnit!” the werewolf cursed as she frantically looked around for a place to hide. Conveniently, there was a thick patch she could see at the far end of the farm where she could lay low until enough time had passed that she could turn back to pony form and pretend to be trying to track down whatever it is that had spooked everypony.

She’d just gotten into her hiding spot when all of a sudden bright lights came on nearby. To Applejack’s horror, she saw it was coming from the CMC treehouse. And even though it was a stupid idea any sane pony, those there were going to come out here to try and find the culprit for causing all the ruckus if their previous actions fueled by curiosity were any indication. Unfortunately, despite being the most wooded part of the farm, the trees were still too neatly separated to completely conceal Applejack, her orange coat was a dead giveaway. She needed to figure out how she was going to get out of here while still explaining why she was out on the farm at night. And fast.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Contrary to even their own expectations, the Crusaders had ended up all falling to sleep rather quickly. They didn’t get much shut eye, however, as the sound of a close by howl followed by a large racket of noise coming from all over the farm made them stir.

“What in the world could that be?” Apple Bloom murmured groggily.

Sweetie Belle yawned. “I dunno, but it seems to have gotten the cows and the sheep all worried about something.”

“Five more…minutes…” half-snored the half-asleep Scootaloo. She did not remain asleep for long as she suddenly found herself in the middle of a three-way hug, the scientifically proven method that had been found to convince Scootaloo to do something she didn’t want to do. “Okay! Okay! I surrender! Just get off me!”

“Well, now that we’re all awake,” Apple Bloom, started, taking leadership charge of the group, “we probably should actually plan what we as the Cutie Mark Crusaders are gonna do to earn our marks!”

“I dunno…” objected Sweetie Belle, “Whatever caused the cows and the sheep to make all that noise out there might still be around, and I don’t feel so safe in here anymore.”

Suddenly, Scootaloo shot up into the air, hitting a hanging light bulb that instantly turned on from the collision. “You mean to say the creature outside is dangerous and could possibly kill us all if we tried to get it?”

The earth and unicorn fillies slowly nodded their heads to the pegasus, not quite sure where she was going with this.

“Well, what if we tried to find it and catch it? We could get our cutie marks in dangerous animal capturing!”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at that, “Scoot, that sounds highly dangerous and most likely we’ll just end up dead and/or the next meal of that thing out there.”

“Yeah, I’ll admit there is some risk. But it can’t be _too_ bad, since back when you had the Cutie Pox you tamed lions, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right!”

And so, without any actual reasons for not agreeing with the plan to hunt down a potentially lethal monster that could eat them, the trio immediately got to work assembling makeshift animal control gear in the hopes of getting their dangerous animal capturing. Nothing could go wrong.


	12. Book1 Ch.12 CMCWH...Y? Part 2

Chapter 12: CMC WH…Y? Part 2

Beams of light danced around the base of the tree that contained the Crusader’s headquarters. With the whole farm on alert for reasons unknown to the fillies, the trio had decided that the best course of action would be to leave the safety of the treehouse. Armed with nothing but flashlights and their capes, the trio bravely, and (more realistically) stupidly, charged forth into the night to track down the monster outside their door. In most circumstances the monster would have either eaten or killed them with little trouble.

Although the three didn’t know it, they were truly in no danger, as the monster was in reality Applejack. However, that just meant the werewolf was the one in danger...of her secret being revealed. By that point, Applejack had reasoned she could get away with her current situation by saying she’d been woken up by the howls and had come over to check on the fillies. That just left the problem of her having to find a place where she could go back into her pony form without the three seeing her. Considering her current hiding spot, which a lucky flashlight would illuminate like a Hearths Warming Tree, her options looked bleak.

Then a stroke of luck came in when Sweetie Belle ended up tripping on the top step just outside the treehouse. She toppled into the two fillies in front of her, sending them crashing to the ground and flashlights spiraling in different directions. Seizing the moment, Applejack immediately rushed out of her hiding spot and instead took up residence in a thicker brush that was positioned so she could see the Crusaders, but they couldn’t see her unless they looked closely. Of course, her “hunters” being easily distracted foals, the odds were in her favor.

“Hey, Ah heard something from over there!” exclaimed Apple Bloom, who had recovered her flashlight and directed its beam towards Applejack’s previous hiding spot.

“Are…are you guys sure about this? I mean, what if this thing is really dangerous? Like, seriously hurt us dangerous?” whimpered a scared Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo was having none of it. “Aw, come on! You’re not a scared chicken, are ya?”

“Well, I’m not _you_ if that’s what you’re asking!”

**“HEY!”**

The two were about to get into a light scuffle had Apple Bloom not intervened. “Girls, c’mon! You can push each other around later, right now we got us a monster to catch! Who knows, it might even be one of them ‘sparkilin’ vamponies’ Twist was talkin’ about today.”

“Apple Bloom, she was talking about that stupid romance novel series most of the girls at school are going ga-ga over. Everypony knows they’re not real!”

“B-but what if they’re not?” stammered Sweetie Belle.

  


Five seconds later the CMC had huddled up into a pile and were shining their flashlights all over the place to try and see if anything sparkled. Applejack counted this as her second stroke of good luck as somehow amid the flying beams of light, there was a clear path where she could remain unseen. She bolted towards the tree.

**“THERE!”** exclaimed one of the fillies, Applejack wasn’t sure who, but the exclamation had caused her a moment of panic. Fortunately, the CMC had just noticed movement from the spot their “prey” had left and were moving towards it, completely oblivious to the scary wolf-pony passing them not five feet away and cloaked in the night.

_Those three are so easily distracted, they’d make excellent-NOPE NOPE NOPE_ thought Applejack, scrubbing away thoughts of the CMC as a midnight snack as she snuck her way into the treehouse. While normally she would have given herself away by the combination of hard hooves clattering on the wooden base of the structure, her werewolf-granted jumping ability enabled her to bypass having to walk the stairs, and her padded paws were deathly silent. Thus, she was able to get into the place undetected. Once inside, she immediately shifted back into pony form before letting out a sigh of relief. “Hard part’s done, thankfully, now to end this and get those three back to bed!”

Walking outside to the railing, the restored mare saw her sister and friends now trying to examine the second hiding spot like the crime scene of a murder. Unable to hold back a snicker due to knowing the truth, she called out “Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo! Are ya’ll alright?”

All three fillies snapped around to see the source of the voice, with Apple Bloom exclaiming “Applejack! What are you doing up there?”

Leaping down from the balcony to the ground, Applejack replied “Somethin’s got the whole farm in an uproar, so Ah rushed out here to make sure ya’ll were alright.”

“Yeah, we’re fine. We were just lookin’ to see if whatever is causin’ all the ruckus was over here.”

Applejack put on her best annoyed face to express her feelings about the CMC putting themselves into a dangerous situation, “An’ what exactly were you three gonna do if this mysterious rabble-rouser was actually around here? What if it was a timberwolf or somethin’? Ya could’ve been hurt, or worse, an’ Ah doubt Ah need to explain mah personal experiences with that kinda thing!”

Apple Bloom was at a loss for words. Her sister was correct in that hunting down something potentially lethal was not a good idea in hindsight. All she could do about it was shoot a nasty glance over at Scootaloo. The pegasus didn’t notice, still looking around at everything with her head moving about like a pigeon, trying to see if the creature was around, not knowing it really stood before her.

It was at that time Big Mac came rushing in; “Girls! Are yah alright! Ah Can’t find Applejack and-oh.”

His “missing” sister just raised an eyebrow at him; “What, did you think I was going to let these three silly fillies be left all alone this far from the house? First thing Ah did when Ah woke up was leap out mah window to check on ‘em. Ah’m assumin’ you an’ Granny went to take care of the others?” By this point the ruckus coming from the other side of the farm had quieted down significantly.

“Uh…eeyup,” Big Mac confirmed with hesitiation. Somehow, Applejack had managed to answer the big question in his head about why she apparently had left her room through the bedroom window. While he knew she could survive the fall, as earth ponies were built tough like that, she’d been doing some weird things at night. Applejack had insisted that it was her own business and that she didn’t want to talk about it yet, so the fact this night had nothing to do with…her “situation”… was a relief.  
______________________________________________________________________________

“Ah think we got ourselves a problem,” Granny Smith informed her two oldest grandfoals. The Crusaders, after having been taken back to the main house, had been put to bed in Apple Bloom’s room for safety. In the meantime, Granny, Big Mac, and AJ were sitting at the kitchen table and trying to appraise the situation.

“From the sound Ah heard a-wakin’ me up” replied Applejack, “it sounded like some kinda wolf howl.”

“Timberwolves, maybe?” suggested Big Mac, trying to not show his concerns over whether or not a wolf of some kind was sitting right next to him. Somehow, neither Applejack nor Granny were noticing his small twitches of apprehension.

Granny shook her head, “Nah, can’t be. Those ruffians don’t howl loud enough even during zap apple season to startle the farmhooves and livestock.”

Big Mac wasn’t so sure, “Ya sure, Granny? Moobella said-“

“Ah’m over a hundred years old, Ah think Ah know how loud those stinkin’ timberwolves can howl after all these years!”

Secretly desperate to try and divert suspicion away from herself, Applejack decided to try and force the discussion to keep on the topic of timberwolves: “But Granny, Big Mac could be right. What if a timberwolf let out a howl while it was on the farm?”

Granny was incredulous, “Don’t be silly, Applejack, timberwolves never come out of the Everfree Forest.”

“But what if they are now? If the availability of food in the forest can’t meet the demand of the population, maybe they’re venturin’ out of the forest simply to survive?”

Granny tapped her chin. “Ya got a point there, Applejack, Ah hadn’t thought of that. ‘Course if we do now have timberwolves tryin’ to raid the farm we’ll need to figure out a way to get them back into that blasted forest and keep the place safe for everypony.”

Applejack nodded, answering with, “Ah’ll talk to Fluttershy tomorrow to see if she can do anythin’ to help,” before suddenly turning to face the stairs and shouted, **“AND DON’T YOU THREE THINK AH DON’T KNOW YA’LL ARE AT THE TOP OF THOSE STAIRS!”**

The sound of what could only be hushed voices and twelve hooved legs hitting the floor came from atop the stairs, as the compromised fillies rushed back to their beds and pretend they hadn’t heard the whole conversation.

Applejack, in response, just shook her head, “Ah swear, if there’s one thing those three _won’t_ try for their cutie marks, it’s sleepin’!” For now, she decided to not chew them out, they were just young ponies who were still curious about the world. So what if they knew about this “problem” of timberwolf intrusions? It’s not like they were going to actually do anything about it…right?  
______________________________________________________________________________

“Iron Will does not believe he understands you correctly.”

The minotaur, out shopping at the market for provisions which he would need on his werewolf hunting quest, did not know what to make of the three tiny ponies who had approached him.  
The yellow one with the bow spoke up to reply, “Mr. Will, word around town in that you’re huntin’ timberwolves, is that right?”

“Um, yes, but why do you-“

“Well, you see me and mah friends here wanna catch this one timberwolf who apparently is tryin’ to raid Sweet Apple Acres so we can get our cutie marks in timberwolf catchin’, but the only problem is we don’t know how. So we came to you to know if you could teach us!”

Yep. Iron Will had heard them right the first time. They actually wanted him to teach them how to catch savage timberwolves. On the one hand, this probably wasn’t going to be the greatest plan ever devised, since these three were just minors and didn’t have anything that would give them an advantage against wolves made of nothing but leaves and sticks. On the other, after the rather dismal performance he and his assistants had put in the last time they’d gone timberwolf hunting, they did need the practice, so knowing where there would be at least one in advance could prove a far easier starting block for working up to trying to catch a real werewolf. Plus, considering how much more savage werewolves were rumored to be compared to timberwolves, Iron Will needed to know he was up to the task.

_Maybe I can just do the whole teaching thing like my assertiveness seminars_ , thought Iron Will, _those generally tend to be very effective in teaching ponies_.

“Alright, Iron Will has decided he will help you-“

He was cut off by three simultaneous voices crying out, **“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS WOLF HUNTERS! YAY!”**

_“However”,_ declared Iron Will, asserting his superiority, “Iron Will needs to discuss this with your parents and/or guardians first.”

Needless to say, the Crusaders were less than thrilled about the sudden need for their parents, and/or guardians to know about their plans being so reckless and dangerous.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, over at Fluttershy’s cottage, Applejack was getting Fluttershy’s opinion on the matter.

“T-Timberwolves you say? Oh, I don’t know why they’d be resorting to raiding your farm for food. The Everfree Forest is extremely large and shouldn’t be having problems supporting the timberwolf population unless their numbers have grown excessively large. Even then, all that would do is create conflict between different packs of timberwolves over food supply, they never go beyond the edge of the forest.”

“Are ya sure there isn’t another reason for them tryin’ to steal from mah farm?”

“Well, there is one other possibility. Iron Will has allegedly been in the forest trying to catch timberwolves.”

“Now why the hay is he tryin’ to catch timberwolves?” asked a confused Applejack,” There’s nothin’ you can get from killin’ them in a way that stops ‘em from reformin’ their bodies, the wood isn’t even good for burnin’!”

“I asked him the same question, he told me that this is all prep work for his real quest to hunt werewolves.”

Applejack immediately reeled back for reasons only obvious to her. “W-werewolves? He’s huntin’ werewolves?”

Fluttershy, thinking her friend was as scared of the notion werewolves existed, continued, “I know, just the idea those legends could even be true scared me as well. But Iron Will said that he’s only doing it to try and win the hand of the minotaur princess in his home country based on some ancient decree. I didn’t really understand it, myself, but from what he told me he ended up angering an entire pack of them a few nights ago.”

But Applejack was no longer concerned about her “timberwolf” problem, in light of this new one exclusive to her. “Y-you’re sure he’s going after werewolves? B-but those don’t exist! Ah would’ve thought that somepony w-would know if their goal was impossible, an’ it don’t get more impossible than huntin’ somethin’ that doesn’t exist, right?”

Fluttershy sat on her haunches so she could shrug with her front legs, “I don’t know what to say, Applejack. He’s not hurting anypony and you can’t really do much to permanently hurt timberwolves without setting them on fire, so as long as that stays true I don’t see much of a problem with it. But what about your timberwolf raiding issue on the farm? What do you plan to do about that?”

“Oh, right, mah timberwolf problem. Well, Ah was hopin’ you might stay on the farm tonight and see if those ruffians come back. In case they do, maybe you could use your ‘Stare’ on them to get ‘em back in line or somethin’?”

“Oh, I don’t know…well, I guess I could give it a shot. It certainly would be better than harming them, at any rate. I’ll be over a little later once I pack my things so I can stay over on the farm.”

“Great! Ah’ll get the guest bedroom set up for you!”

Applejack bid farewell to Fluttershy before turning back to head to the farm. The news that Iron Will, who AJ was sure was half cow and half pectoral muscle, had come to Ponyville of all places to hunt werewolves was a massive inconvenience to her, since as a werewolf she was still trying to get complete control over her body’s new urges.

_As long as he actually doesn’t know anythin’ about tracking werewolves, Ah should be fine,_ thought Applejack, _although it would be for the best if Ah avoided him entirely._  
______________________________________________________________________________

“Explain to me _how_ this is going to work exactly?” asked Granny Smith.

In the timeless art of nopony communicating any of their plans, the Apples found themselves playing host to not only the entire CMC again, but also both Fluttershy _and_ Iron Will. Applejack was, naturally, immediately scared out of her wits when the one creature who legitimately wanted to kill her was sitting in the living room and eating some apple pie. Doing her best to hide how uncomfortable she was with his presence, her nervous smile and rushed speech pattern did nothing to hide those feelings. She was lucky everypony else completely misinterpreted her reactions and believed she was just scared of the minotaur’s massively built body. So big, in fact, that he’d have to sleep in the barn as there was no way he was getting up the stairs. He barely fit in the ground floor rooms as it was.

What made things worse, however, was the reason he was even there. Somehow, the Crusaders had convinced him and his two goat assistants to help deal with the timberwolf issue under the guise of them teaching the fillies on how to deal with the problem themselves. How Granny has been convinced to even allow this despite both the arguments from Big Mac and Applejack remained a mystery. When Fluttershy had finally gotten to the Apple homestead, dealing with her needs was a cakewalk compared to trying to fit Iron Will at the dinner table, where Granny insisted on serving dinner to all parties staying the night.

Fluttershy spoke up; “Well, um, Iron Will and I have agreed to try and deal with your timberwolf problem by combining our specialties. If they show up tonight, I’ll try to peacefully convince them to leave the farm alone, then if that fails then Iron Will can-

“Iron Will shall show them that if they think this farm is a push over, all they’ll get is the once over!” shouted Iron Will, once again finding himself trying to interject is seminar quotes into conversations. Somehow, they didn’t really work outside of the context of said seminars.

“Uh, yes, thank you Iron Will,” continued Fluttershy, recovering from being startled and hitting both Big Mac and Applejack in the face with her flared wings, “anyway, we’ll be doing that, and the CMC can watch if they want, they won’t be in any trouble.”

That was when Sweetie Belle interjected with her own contribution, holding up a book titled _How to Deal with a Werewolf Problem,_ by an author named Blue Velvet. “We can help by reading from books like this!”

“Sweetie Belle, where did you get that book?” asked Apple Bloom.

“I found it with Iron Will’s stuff,” answered the tiny unicorn, before opening it up and reading the first few lines, “Do you think your lover becomes a monster at night? Does his fifth leg become rock hard during the full moon? This guide will instruct you on how to turn that savage creature into your greatest toy and give you nights of unparalleled, passion-filled nights of love mak-“

Iron Will, who hadn’t actually been paying much attention, immediately reacted when he realized just which one of his books Sweetie Belle was reading, managing to move just in time to snatch the book away before everypony else figured out what the book _really_ was.

“Iron Will would like to remind everypony that it is _very rude_ to go through the things belonging to others, especially when those things contain items that are _very unfit_ for young minds!”

Applejack immediately grew suspicious at Iron Will’s reasoning for snatching the book, “Unfit for fillies to see? What’s in that there book, exactly? Let me see it, Ah’m a grown mare.”

Deciding to let the book speak for itself, Iron will handed it over to Applejack, who grabbed it and immediately started reading. Five seconds later her face managed to both go pale and break out in a bright red blush as she realized what Iron Will had prevented the CMC from reading. She closed the book and handed it back over to the minotaur, stammering out “Wh-why do you even _have_ a book like that?!”

After placing the book under himself such that the CMC couldn’t get access to it, Iron Will gave out a half-hearted response while not directly looking anypony else in the eye and blushing a fair shade of crimson in his own right, “Iron Will judged the book to be about werewolf hunting from it’s cover. Combined with the extremely low price the vendor was putting on it, Iron Will figured it was worth spending a few bits to see if the book was very good. Iron Will has since regretted that action and has been trying to find a way to dispose of this book so that it can’t offend anypony of sane mind with its, um, “risque’” suggestions for its true intended audience.”

At that point Big Mac, Fluttershy, and Granny also figured out what Iron Will had unintentionally bought and the CMC almost read about, visibly blanching as a result. The CMC were still confused as to what everypony else was trying to keep from them, only knowing that it may or may not have been adult-only material. And Applejack was desperately trying not to start breaking down into hysterics at the situation she was in.

_First Ah can’t go runnin’ in the woods because of some hormornal thing involvin’ mah time of the month, then Ah get this timberwolf raidin’ nonsense started ‘cause Ah can’t keep mah damn mouth shut when Ah’m a wolf, and_ now _Mah sister almost found out about ‘the birds an’ the bees’ in the most horrifyingly detailed way imaginable!_ Applejack lamented silently _, can this night get any worse for me?!_  
  
Of course, as is always the case of an accidental invocation of Murphy’s Law, it would soon become a night Applejack would never forget for all the wrong reasons.


	13. Book1 Ch.13 Closing In

A Hairy Problem Ch.13 “Closing In”

Everything seemed fine and dandy at the Ponyville train station. The newly arrived train belched steam as the conductor announced it was safe to disembark the passenger coaches. And the passengers did, waiting for their luggage to be offloaded for collection so that they could go on their business. The mail was offloaded as new sacks were loaded on. It was simply hustling and bustling no matter where one looked.

For one individual, this was exactly what he’d wanted. Having slipped into the station the previous night, he’d spent at least a couple of hours holed up in a locked stall in the stallion’s restroom in a rather uncomfortable position so the janitor wouldn’t see his legs on the floor. As it would turn out, there had been no janitor, which annoyed the intruder as he really did want to get into a more comfortable position, but dared not risk it in case somepony else came in. Finally, the time arrived when he heard the early morning crowd outside, when he could get out of the blasted company of his porcelain companion. Nopony on the platform noticed the stallion who exited the restroom and blended right into the crowd, to everypony else he had just been somebody fresh off the train and had really needed to go.

But he was not a newly arrived passenger, despite him choosing to say as such for his cover. He had no luggage to pick up, his only worldly possessions stowed in the satchel he wore aside from one, which was hidden in plain sight. Not like anypony would notice, however; they’d be too busy noticing what kind of pony he was.

His coat was a pale, cream color, contrasting his mane of blended dark brown and olive green coloration but not in a bad way. On his flank was a scroll, half open with a feather quill writing scribbles on it. To all the world around him, he looked the part of a scholar who hailed from the Crystal Empire. He did not appear to be crystallized as his kind were known for, but he had an excuse for that in how the effect only showed when within the range of the Crystal Heart.

Ignoring the stares from passersby ponies, the transplanted pony headed straight for what looked like a hotel of sorts. He didn’t actually need a room to stay in due to previousl arrangements, but the hotel was closer to his objective. It would also be much more comfortable than his other arrangement and the “no-questions-asked” demeanor of most room renters possessed would ensure privacy.

His confidence in that belief was shaken somewhat when he entered the hotel and immediately was met with a raised eyebrow from the older pony manning the desk, probably the innkeeper.

“Well now,” said the innkeeper, visually examining the satchel-wearing oddity before him, “you certainly don’t look like any pony I’ve ever seen before. Where are you from?”

“I am a native of the Crystal Empire, my good sir,” responded the younger pony, approaching the desk.

“Ah! So you’re one of them ‘crystal ponies’ are you?”

“I am, although please don’t ask me to turn translucent, we crystal ponies can’t do that trick outside the Empire.”

“Probably to do with that Crystal Heart or whatever it is that makes that weird aura I’ll bet. Anyway, I bet you’re here for a room.”

“Indeed, although if possible I’d prefer a room with a window looking out onto that forest, the ‘Everfree’, I believe it’s called.”  
“Why would you want that?” the innkeeper inquired as he began looking for a room meeting the requirement, “it’s nothing much to look at, just a bunch of tightly packed trees.”

“Up in the Empire, we don’t have dense forests, and I find it something interesting to gaze upon.”

“Whatever floats your boat, I guess.” The innkeeper then placed a key with the number 2 etched into it. “Room two should fit your needs. I do require a deposit of five bits, though, before I can check you in.”

“Not a problem,” answered the pale cream pony as he fished around in his satchel and produced three bit coins, placing them on the table.

The innkeeper took the deposit. “Alright, now I just need you to sign in here.” The innkeeper then produced a rather large and ragged guestbook, which he opened to a page towards the back where the other pony could sign in.

The crystal pony couldn’t help but look over the names of some ponies who had signed in before him; “Wildfire,” “Dainty Dish,” “Twilight Sunburn,” “Sandalwood.”

_It never ceases to amaze me how strange some pony names can be,_ thought the checking-in pony as he signed his name below Sandalwood’s.

Taking the book back, the innkeeper examined the signature to ensure it was good. “Ah, so your name is Intellectual Pursuit, eh? Interesting, it’s no business of mine but I have to wonder what somepony with a name like that is doing in a backwater town like Ponyville.”

Pursuit just smiled, saying “There is much to be learned in a new place, no matter where one goes, and it is often the case where the least likely of locations will yield the greatest treasures.” But behind that smile was a grinning predator, one who already knew the treasure he wanted was here, soon to be his.  
___________________________________________________________________________________  
“Ah never thought Ah’d be so glad for a school night in mah life!” declared Applejack to her friends. She’d invited them over to try out a new pie she’d created; the “caramel apple” pie. She’d also invited them over simply so it didn’t look like she’d become something of a shut-in after the whole incident with the dogs or that Lyra and Sandalwood were taking their places as her greatest friends.

“I do apologize, Applejack, I was supposed to be watching Sweetie Belle over the weekend but I was so caught up in a work order that it seemed like a relief my sister was going somewhere else. I didn’t realize it would cause you so much trouble,” Rarity pled.

“Don’t worry about it, Rarity, this whole weekend was like some kinda annoyance after another.” Indeed, starting with the whole incident involving the dogs and her hormones, she’d had to wear her mother’s favorite perfume and be reminded of some bad memories, then she screwed up her attempt at a run at night in wolf form and nearly got caught by the CMC, _then_ after managing to push Granny to spin events so that it looked like a timberwolf or two had tried to raid the farm she ended up being dangerously close to the one individual in the world who was hunting the very thing she’d become, _and then_ the previous night, no timberwolves showed up and in the end all that happened was the CMC and Iron Will shouting various “assertive” slogans all night. Apparently, werewolves also had improved hearing as Applejack learned the hard way as she barely got any sleep, the shouting ringing in her head as if it was coming from a megaphone five inches away from her face.

“It’s possible that the wolves just got scared off by all the shouting,” suggested Fluttershy, who somehow managed to fall asleep in the middle of all the shouting to the surprise of everypony, including herself.

“Or maybe they thought you’d constructed something that when you pulled a lever in a room full of identical levels there would be a tidal wave of lava that spewed from the ground and flooded the entire landscape and existed just to kill them?” said Pinkie Pie, “Or maybe that just works on elephants, I don’t remember.”

“Pinkie, what does Applejack look like; a dwarf?” asked Twilight. “The physical impossibilities of that aside, why would anypony build such a thing in the first place? It sounds like something that could destroy an entire town!”

“To destroy an unending army of angry pachyderms, of course!” Pinkie Pie stated as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

The six friends just sat there, looking at Pinkie Pie with various faces of confusion. Finally, Applejack broke the silence by saying they all should try the caramel apple pie still unmolested in the center of the table. Everypony agreed.

As Applejack had hoped, the pie was delicious. All the taste of a caramel apple, but condensed into the buttery crust of a pie. The rest of her friends agreed the confection was a success and that other ponies would love it as well. But when Applejack got up to bus the table, Rainbow Dash noticed something odd about her athletic rival.

“Hey, AJ, is it just me or is there something…wrong with your cutie mark?”

“Huh?” responded Applejack, turning to look at her bum mark. To a pony, the cutie mark is a very visible declaration of their identity as a pony. It was the mark of their talent, of what made them especially unique among their peers. If something permanent happened to one’s cutie mark, there was no telling of the kind of psychological breakdown that could occur.

But to her credit, Applejack only showed a little bit of reaction when she saw what had happened to her cutie mark. Generally, nothing had actually happened, it was still three bright red apples with two green leaves apiece. However, what was noticeable to her about the mark is that it appeared to have slightly faded, as if it was an old painted sign bleached by the sun. Applejack didn’t know what to make of this, as once attained ponies wore their marks for life. Even trying to save off the fur wouldn’t remove the mark, as it would just reappear when the fur grew back. Marks weren’t also supposed to fade, Granny Smith’s pie cutie mark was still bright as day even though she was older than Ponyville itself.

“Oh, my!” declared Twilight as she got up from her seat and trotted over to examine AJ’s mark, “I’ve never heard of a cutie mark fading. I mean, your mark is still very clear, Applejack, but it’s certainly not as bright as it usually is.

_Ah hope this isn’t part of this whole werewolf business,_ thought the apple farmer as she tried to think of what caused her mark to fade.

“Why don’t you just look up the cause in the library?” asked Rainbow Dash, “or, failing that, just ask the princesses? Celestia is a zillion times older than us, surely she’s heard of this problem before.”

“I guess that’s the only way to address this,” agreed the lavender unicorn. “Syndrome, fever, internal organ failure…it could be anything!”

“Ah’m pretty sure it isn’t _that_ big a deal, girls” said Applejack, trying to divert attention away from the fact she was pretty concerned herself, “maybe Ah just need to wash mah flank and it’ll come back. Ah have been workin’ pretty hard today.”

“If you’re sure, AJ, then we’ll leave it to you to wash up. However, if it does remain like this, or gets worse and fades more, you probably should go to the doctor.”

Applejack nodded and so the six friends went back into chatting about various topics of no real consequence. At the back of her mind, however, AJ couldn’t shake the feeling her cutie mark actually undergoing a physical alteration couldn’t bode anything good for her in the near future.  
___________________________________________________________________________________  
It was around dinner time at Castle Canterlot, where Princesses Celestia and Luna were enjoying a nice, seven course meal between the two of them, that the letter came.

“Another friendship report, sister?” asked Luna, before taking a bite of alfalfa.

“Doesn’t look like it…” replied Celestia, “it’s from Twilight Sparkle, but it is asking a rather peculiar question; ‘can a pony’s cutie mark fade?’”

“Oh dear, has she gone and done something completely unnatural with magic again like the time you had to personally intervene?”

“I hope not; Twilight would know I expect better of her. No, what’s going on here is she’s probably doing some side research on how cutie marks come about, with those three fillies the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ having nagged her enough to look into it.”

“You know, I wonder why nopony has ever looked into that, whether or not a pony’s cutie mark could fade.”

“Why, Luna, so you can reduce the size of your cutie mark so it doesn’t look like a miasma covering your plot?” said Celestia, smirking.

Luna’s brow furrowed as the battle lines were being drawn, “Well, at my cutie mark is proportionally bigger than yours, I see no need to try and remove part of it. Besides, I would expect ponies to behave better than to stare at my booty.”

“It’s only that way because you’re the younger sister and are still smaller than me.”

“I’d rather have that then a giant, cake-inflated rear that could collide with some poor pony if I was backing up.”

“Are you saying my butt is fat?”

“Only if you’re saying my cutie mark looks like some kind of horrible disease.”

This exchange of semi-hostility went on for several minutes, the duo having left their places at the table and move to the side, ready to engage in a battle on a level closer than just wits.

“I do believe there is only one way to settle this, Luna.”

“At least we can agree on something, Celestia.”

Silence for a few moments, then Luna charged her sister. Unfortunately, the moment she did so she knew she had lost as Celestia merely teleported away. Sliding to a halt, Luna was trying to figure out where Celly could have gone when the sun princess’s voice whispered in her ear;

“Gotcha.”

Luna was powerless to stop Celestia’s assault, her defenses breached and the attack too powerful to resist.

“Stop! S-Stop! HAHAHAHA-Celly please I- _HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_ ”

“Even after all these years, Luna, I still know your ticklish spots.”

“ _AHAHAHAHA_ -W-we sur- _AHAHAHAHA_ -render!”

Celestia ceased with the tickling and helped her sister up. The “War of Tickles” had been something the sisters had done since they’d come to the conclusion any real fighting between them would end up destroying something on a massive scale. That had proved true a thousand years ago almost when Celestia had to fight Nightmare Moon. The end result of that was the outright destruction of Castle Everfree, leaving it largely in the ruined state that it remained in up to the present day.

“I apologize for insulting your cutie mark, Luna.”

“And I apologize for calling your plot fat.”

The two royals hugged in a rare display of sisterly love, one not bound by the rules and regulations of monarchy. The moment was quickly ruined, however, when one of the royal staffers cleared his throat to get his lieges’ attention.  
“Your majesties, are you done with supper?”

“Ah, no, Prix Fixe, Luna and I are still eating. We just got…caught up in a sister moment.”

“Very well then, please continue to enjoy your supper.”  
___________________________________________________________________________________  
Twilight was frantically looking through all the books on pony healthcare and the like, books flying every which way but in such as fashion that they landed perfectly and were not damaged. Even when in a crisis, Twilight Sparkle was not one to try and damage perfectly good books if she could help it.

“Spike, have you found anything yet?”

“No, can’t say that I- **HOLD ON**!” replied the young dragon, hefting up a large book with a section he thought relevant on the current page, “Oh, wait, sorry. False alarm. This is just about what happens if your mane and tail start turning white.”

“ **AAAARRRGHHH!** There has to be _something_ in here about cutie marks fading, certainly a higher probability of that being something ponies know more about than dragons!”

It was around that time there was a knock at the library door.

Twilight emerged from a giant pile of books, saying “I wonder who that could be this late at night…Applejack maybe? Spike, can you-“

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

Spike reached the door, opening it to find a pale cream pony with a strange mane coloration waiting outside.

The strange pony spoke up, “Ah, is this the Golden Oaks Library?”

“It is, can I help you with something?” said Spike, flatly. He’d not been in a good mood, what with having to do a library-wide search for something once again.

“I’m looking for a Miss Twilight Sparkle, is she in at the moment?”

“She might be in, is your business with her of extreme importance?”

“Well, no, but-“

***SLAM***

The rudely rejected pony fought the urge to unleash his true power and utterly destroy the offending door, but before he got a chance to do so it opened again. This time, a purple unicorn with a two-tone pink/purple streak in her mane appeared behind it.

“I apologize for Spike, he’s a bit worked up due to me being kind of hard on him for a research project I’m working on.”

“I’m sorry for interrupting, but I was wondering if I could chat with you, scholar to scholar. I mean, I’m presuming you’re the one and only Twilight Sparkle, protégé’ of Princess Celestia herself, am I right?”

Twilight couldn’t help but blush a little at how well this other pony knew her. “Yes, I am Twilight Sparkle. And you are…?”

The stallion stuck out his hoof, “Intellectual Pursuit. I’m from the Crystal Empire, but I have come down here to Ponyville to see what I can learn outside of the Frozen North.”

“You’re a crystal pony?”

“Indeed, I- **WHOA**!”

Pursuit found himself drawn into the library by Twilight’s telekinesis, being put down at a table in a room just off of the main library.

“Spike, can you go make some tea for our guest here?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.”

Twilight then hurriedly set up the table before sitting down herself; “So, Mr. Pursuit, what do you want to know about Equestria proper? I’m sure you still have lots of questions since the Crystal Empire has been out of the loop of history for the past thousand years. And then you can tell me all about what the empire was like before Sombra got it all screwed up!”

“Indeed, I do have a lot of questions, and I will try to answer yours to the best of my ability, but first I must ask what the deal is about all these medical texts strewn about.” Intellectual gestured to the pile of books clearly visible just outside the kitchen.

“Oh, those, well…I’ve been trying to figure out what’s wrong with one of my friends, she’s got this strange…thing going on and none of the books seem to detail what it is.”

Pursuit cocked his head to one side, “Oh? I happen to know some details about obscure medical conditions. Perhaps I can be of assistance there.”

“I’d rather not have to explain it, but since none of the books seem to have any information…okay, have you ever heard of a pony that has their cutie mark start fading, like it’s an old painted sign left in the sun too long?”

The crystal pony cocked an eyebrow, showing some sign of recognition of the description, “Actually, yes, I have. How long has your friend had this problem?”

Twilight reached behind to scratch the back of her neck, “I don’t actually know, I only learned of it today when she had me and the rest of our friends over to try out her new pie recipe.”

_Hmmm, I do like pie,_ thought Pursuit, thinking of the treat he hadn’t partaken of in so long, _but I have to keep my eyes on the prize here. There will be plenty of time for pie later._

“Okay, I think I know what your friend has. It’s something called ‘Cutie Mark Mange’.”

“I’ve never heard of that before!”

“Sure you have, it’s actually something close to dandruff. It’s extremely rare, probably genetic but research can’t track down enough cases to study it. Regardless, what is known about it is that as a pony sheds their fur coat, the cutie mark doesn’t grow back as fast in the fur. Thus, it looks like it’s fading. In reality, it will be restored to full clarity a day or two later as the mark grows back. It’s nothing major at all, really.”

“Fascinating!” declared Twilight, who had somehow produced parchment and was jotting down notes with her quill, “Applejack will be happy to hear that!”

“Applejack?”

“Oh, yeah, she’s the friend of mine who apparently has ‘Cutie Mark Mange’ going on. It should be a relief to her to learn it’s not another hapless event she ended up in, what with the dog chasing and the whole deal with The Meatery…”

_Interesting, so her name is Applejack_ thought Pursuit as Twilight went on a long list of things Applejack had dealt with in the past few months. It amused him to no end that while he could see the truth clear as day, the supposed “student of the princess” was completely blind to it. That will be fixed in due time, of course, he thought, but like pie, dealing with her can wait.

“Okay, so now that you’ve answered one of my questions fully, it’s your turn to ask. Seriously, anything you want to know about the Crystal Empire, just ask away.”

He swore Twilight’s mouth made a _squee_ noise as she whipped out a different parchment sheet. This one being long. Very, very long. “I may have one or two questions,” the unicorn said nonchalantly, “but this shouldn’t take long at all!”  
___________________________________________________________________________________  
“This won’t take long at all!” mock-whined Pursuit as he shambled off back to the hotel. He was seriously in a bad mood, having completely misjudged the favored student of Celestia. The “one or two” questions had taken several hours to answer. While he in turn had learned about what happened to Equestria in the “thousand years” he’d been gone (yeah, like he’d been stupid enough to still be in the Empire when it went bye-bye with Sombra’s first defeat), he had to admit to himself this was a low point for him as he’d learned nothing that could make his objectives be achievable more easily, namely because he actually had known all that crap to begin with. In fact, his secondary goal was becoming even less attractive instead, but the driving reason for that one went beyond a purple unicorn mare who didn’t shut the hay up.

But his mood began to improve once he was safely behind the door to Room 02. Almost instantly came off the satchel, care being taken to not damage the items inside it. Then came the locket. That precious locket that she’d gotten enchanted with the disguise spell for him so many years ago.

As the spell deactivated, returning him to his true form, he tried not to let a tear fall for his beloved. He reached over with a morphing hoof to retrieve the old photo from within the satchel. The only visual reminder of his dearly departed, the one who had stayed by him so willingly. Before that bitch Celestia took her away in some demented act of “justice” that was wholly uncalled for.

His rage building, he worked it back under control before taking note that he was back to his normal form, his true form. He walked over to the mirror to examine himself. Gone was the pretentious Crystal Pony known as “Intellectual Pursuit,” for that was merely a cheap disguise afforded by the locket. But here, here stood the true beast from within. His coat a thick layer of dark brown fur, his mane and tail a messy two-toned tangle of dark greens and his eyes a piercing yellow. On his flank, there was no stupid scroll and quill suggesting “intelligence” or some crap like that, but from a distance it appeared he had no cutie mark at all. Only close examination would reveal the remnants of what could only be a red-colored wolf paw, the mark of a true hunter.

In the mirror, the pony cracked a menacing grin of sharp teeth. He was finally back in play, back on the hunt. And it was only a matter of time before the prey was all his.


	14. Book1 Ch.14 SAYS (If Applejack was also a Werewolf) - Part 1

Chapter 14: Spike At Your Service (if Applejack was also a Werewolf)

It was a rare moment of rest for Applejack. No trees needed to be bucked, no gutters to be fixed, no nothing. But idleness was something Applejack wasn’t too fond of, especially now that she was still coming to grips with her lycanthropy. Idleness tended to lead to wandering thoughts.

It had been almost a month now since she had first undergone the transformation, had fully become a werewolf. At first it had seemed like something she could find advantageous, but over time she began to learn the flaws and was questioning the trade-off she’d been forced to make. Originally it had just been a problem of meat, but after having to confide in Lyra and Sandalwood that had become somewhat less of a problem as those two had figured out how to get in some fish for her. It wasn’t as good as a juicy hamburger or a chicken, but seafood meat was better than nothing, even if it did screw up her normal meals as she couldn’t be seen eating fish in public.

Then there was the problem of her altered biology. While at this point she could go back into town easily enough without all the dogs chasing her, it still remained unclear on whether or not she’d have to wear more Chattelle No. 50 the next time her “monthly visitor” came to pass. Coupled onto the worry of what was happening to her body was that her ears seemed slightly different. While nopony had noticed yet, Applejack had detected something was off. The edges appeared to have become a tiny bit straighter, not enough to look significantly different but obvious enough if compared to a normal pony ear.

But the scare about her faded cutie mark still was fresh in her mind. She’d washed her flanks especially hard that night after they were discovered, but while some luster was brought back to the trio of apples, they still remained just that tiny bit faded that bothered her to no end. Twilight had come by the next morning, informing Applejack that what she had was some kind of “cutie mark dandruff” issue, apparently an extremely rare genetic condition she’d heard from a visiting crystal pony who’d talked to her last night. Applejack was relieved to hear the dulling of her identity was only temporary and it should come back. And come back it did, as at that moment her cutie mark appeared like nothing had changed.

But it was the nature of this “dandruff” that Twilight had spoken about that kept Applejack worried. _She said it was some kinda rare, genetic thing,_ thought AJ, _but if that’s the case then why has the rest of the Apple Family not even said a word about such a thing? Ah’d expect somepony who’s a relative of mine to have had this happen. Also, what about Big Mac and Apple Bloom? What if they have this problem comin’ their way as well? Big Mac probably won’t make a big issue of it, but Apple Bloom would freak if her cutie mark, whatever it is when she finally gets it, starts to fade away. Maybe it’s somethin’ from Mom’s side of the family? Ah dunno…_

Before that line of thinking could be pursued further, something on the edge of her vision drew AJ’s attention elsewhere. A hot air balloon, similar to the model Twilight sometimes used, was somehow drifting away from the center of town and towards the Everfree Forest. This warranted investigation, so Applejack quickly took her things back to the barn before heading off in the direction of the wild woods. Once she was sufficiently surrounded by the trees, however, the mare looked around to ensure the coast was clear before willing herself to change forms. Within a minute, gone was the farmer and in her place was the hunter, who took off like a rocket to track down that balloon. It wasn’t hard at this point, the rope that had been dangling from it must have snared on a branch in a thicket somewhere and anchored the vessel. Simple enough, thought Applejack, just grab the balloon’s rope and walk it back to town.

Or at least that had been the plan had she not heard a distinctly young male voice that could have only come from one particular pony. Or rather, one particular dragon. Almost instinctively, Applejack changed from wolf hybrid back to regular pony while she was still running, subconsciously not wanting him to know her secret. But from what she could tell, Spike was actually yelling in terror, and her heightened sense of smell indicated…

“Timberwolves…“ Applejack snarled. Normally she should have been more concerned about the danger represented by the decidedly foul breath scent in the air, the presence of rotten eggs meaning the walking piles of lumber were nearby, but AJ was no longer a normal pony. She was a werewolf, and right now there were wolves of another sort threatening a member of her “pack”, so-to-speak.  
__________________________________________________________________________________  
Spike was sweating up a storm as he found himself backed up against a rock ledge. In front of him was a trio of timberwolves, canids somehow magically constructed out of the cast-off pieces of trees and grasses that lived in the Everfree Forest. As he was sure that death was certain, he didn’t know if it was worse that he was going to get eaten alive, or that he was going to get eaten alive while subjected to the stench of rotten eggs.

Then, right as the center lead timberwolf was about to attack, some gray shot from the sky and hit him square in the face. Reeling from the attack, the leader looked up to the source of the offending rock, his two cronies following suit. They found on top of the rock ledge a strange, hat-wearing orange pony tossing a rock up and down with her hoof.

“Come and get me, ya big goons!” taunted Applejack as she tossed up the rock before bucking back right into the face of the same wolf and yelling **“RUN!”** to Spike, before dashing off herself. Spike did as he was told and ran off in a different direction as the timberwolves chased after their new antagonist.

Now, had Applejack been able to safely morph into her wolf form, she could have easily outrun the timberwolves, but since Spike was still around she couldn’t risk it. Instead, as the wolves easily kept pace with her, she noticed a low hanging branch hanging in front of her. Some quick thinking later and one of the wolves went to pieces when said branch smacked him in the face, but the other two wolves continued to bear down on the pony. That number was quickly reduced to one when applejack found some more small rocks and bucked them right into the legs of one of her pursuers, causing the unlucky doppelganger to crash into the ground and break up under his own momentum.

The last wolf, however, was almost on top of Applejack due to her pausing to kick rocks, so time was running out for her. At least, until she saw a tree straight ahead that had a circular gap in the middle of it. Deciding to risk it, the farm pony called forth all of her rodeo skills and jumped through the hole, the timberwolf following close behind. Applejack made it, but took the landing a bit too hard and ended up rolling a bit, managing to stand up only to see two disembodied forelegs with sharp twig claws rocketing right at her. They landed just short before clenching and crumbling into its individual pieces.

She barely had enough time to take a sigh of relief before Spike came around and exclaimed “Wow, Applejack! That was amazing! I mean, you rocketed those boulders at them like they were…rockets! Pow, pow, pow-pow-pow! You saved my life!” before then saying in a much softer tone, “You…saved…my life…”

Just happy Spike was safe, Applejack simply replied “Aw, don’t mention it, Spike. C’mon, we should be headin’ on back, now.”

“Man, am I lucky you were out here! Uh...why _were_ you out here?”

“Saw the balloon floatin’ by with nopony in it, came out here to investigate. Guess you did too, huh?

“Uh, yeah…I was investigating the runaway hot air balloon, too! So, uh, now that the mystery’s been solved, let’s get outta here, huh?”

Applejack didn’t reply, but simply untied the balloon’s rope from the twig (which she noted looked a little too nice of a knot to have happened naturally…) and started walking alongside Spike and out of the forest. Neither of them noticed the timberwolf pieces behind them reforming in a menacing way.  
___________________________________________________________________________________  
Later, Applejack and Spike were standing in front of a gate just outside Sweet Apple Acres. Cherry Berry had come to recollect the balloon, none too happy about having to walk all the way out to the farm to collect it.

“Thanks fer walkin’ me home, Spike, that was mighty kind of you. But now Ah have chores that need tendin’ to, so see you later.”

To her surprise, Spike immediately responded “What chores? I’ll do them!”

“That’s sweet, but you don’t have-“

“It’s the least I can do! You saved my life! I need to repay the favor.”

Now getting slightly concerned about Spike suddenly being a little too eager to do her duties, Applejack continued to try and turn him off of the idea; “Shoot, Spike, that’s what friends do for each other. You don’t need to repay the favor.”

“Yes, I do!”

“Sugar, its okay, it’s not necessary.”

“Applejack, you don’t understand! This is something I really _need_ to do!”

Realizing she wasn’t going to convince the dragon otherwise, Applejack conceded to the idea of letting the young dragon help and pointed him in the direction of Apple Bloom, who was cleaning one of the farm’s prized pigs. Spike eagerly dashed off to go assist. Little did Applejack understand how the rest of the day was going to devolve into one massive headache after another simply because she’d saved him from a grisly fate.  
___________________________________________________________________________________  
Meanwhile, in the archives of Castle Canterlot…

“Celly, where are those medical texts I was going to read? I know I put them somewhere around here…”

“Oh, sorry Luna, I didn’t know you’d set them aside. They’re actually with Twilight at the moment.”

Luna appeared from behind a bookshelf, surprised at her sister’s actions. “Twilight?! What in Equestria were you thinking sending such complex books to her?”

Celestia didn’t look up from the ancient tome she was reading when she replied “You forget, dear sister, I made Twilight Sparkle my personal pupil for a reason. Her magic power being almost as great as yours, mine, or Cadance’s aside, she’s extremely adept at understanding complex texts and picking things out of their hiding places in context.” Celestia then smiled as she recalled a memory of her loyal student when she was in the middle of her studies under royalty, “This was before your return, Luna, back when Twilight was in her teenage years, but she’d gone through the entire library’s inventory of advanced magic spells and was demanding for Head Archivist Leatherback to let her access the restricted portion of the Star Swirl shelves.”

Luna’s expression went from surprise to horror at the mere thought of a filly as powerful as Twilight Sparkle getting her hooves onto things like time travel spells without any mature sensibility or respect for the fragility of time. “I presume Leatherback denied that request?”

“Oh, she went much further than that. Every restricted item from the Star Swirl shelves were immediately removed and stored in a royal vault by her command, simply to ensure little Twilight didn’t access them.” Celestia laughed. “I never said this to Twilight, but when she was that age she was just _adorable_ to see pout, and oh how she pouted when she discovered the guards weren’t going to let her go into the vaults. How she found out they were in the vaults I don’t know, but for almost a year she kept on bugging me to let her read even just one of the books, for ‘light reading’ I think. She finally stopped when I agreed to teach her how to reverse gravity.”

“You taught a filly **WHAT**!?” Luna exclaimed, forgetting that this was a library she was in.

Celestia just laughed again before continuing “Don’t worry, Luna, her power was still too weak at that age to sufficiently accomplish the spell without my help, so she always was under my supervision. In the end I’m glad I taught her that spell, as she told me it came in handy when trying to locate the Crystal Heart.”

Luna just rolled her eyes, “Yes, yes, although I’d say it was just luck she remembered the spell in the first place. You also have failed to answer the question as to why you sent Twilight those manuscripts.”

“Oh, right, I probably should have told you earlier. It seems Twilight has learned that a condition where a pony’s cutie mark fades does in fact exist. It’s called ‘Cutie Mark Mange’, I think. She wanted some of the texts you’d set out, so I sent them along to her, saying I wanted her to read all twelve by the end of the weekend. Cruel, I know, but her record is actually thirteen books in a day so it shouldn’t be an issue for her.”

Luna immediately heard the bells ringing in her head, “Did you just say ‘Cutie Mark Mange’?”

“I did. Why, is there something about it you know that I don’t? Because I must be honest in saying I’ve never heard of it before.”

Luna walked over to take a seat next to her sister, answering with “Well, it was shortly before my, erm…’tantrum’ I had against you, but I do recall hearing a story about one stallion doctors had created that term for, because his cutie mark was somehow fading in and out.”

Celestia had to raise an eyebrow. Either this was an extreme coincidence, or Twilight had inadvertently stumbled onto something much older than Celestia even knew about, despite seemingly having been around the time “Cutie Mark Mange” had been coined.

“Luna, do you remember anything else about this that you may have heard?”

Luna set her front legs on the table, resting her head on her hooves and concentrating, trying to recall the old fragment of history in her head. “Umm…okay, this pony was…was apparently an ex royal guardsman, earth pony, name was Bronze Shield, I think. Everything else is blurry.”

Celestia knew that name from somewhere. Even after over a thousand years, she specifically knew of the name Bronze Shield somehow. But from where? And why?

Getting up from her chair, Celestia laid out her plan; “Well, if he was a royal guardspony, his name should be in the records. And if this Cutie Mark Mange existed even before your ‘tantrum’ then there should be records of all known cases.”  
“I take it you want me to look for something, sister?” asked Luna.

“Yes. Try to find any more information you can on this mange this library may have. I’m going to get the archivists and go over those old recruit rosters from the early days of our reign. I know there’s a connection here that I’m just not seeing, but we’re going to find it one way or another.”

Nodding her agreement, Luna took off on her research assignment. Celestia did the same, but towards where the archivists lived in the castle. In her gut, she had a dreadful feeling that whatever the connection was, it was not good.  
___________________________________________________________________________________  
 _What in the hay am Ah supposed to do now?_ wondered Applejack as Spike eagerly awaited orders to do something else. It was bad enough that Apple Bloom had taken off after announcing the CMC’s plans to get fitted for water skis in another harebrained attempt at getting cutie marks, Applejack was going to be worrying about her all day. But the more immediate problem was that Spike had decided Applejack was the new Twilight Sparkle. For some reason or another, Spike had declared himself forever under Applejack’s servitude for saving his life as stated by some “Dragon Code” he had, complete with a childish looking business card implying as such. As much as Applejack didn’t mind having another set of hooves (or rather, claws in his case) to help around the farm, Spike was as bad as the CMC when it came to “helping others” with just about anything if it wasn’t organization based.

The problems had made themselves perfectly clear when Applejack had sent Spike to go help Granny Smith make some pies. Within a matter of minutes, Spike’s attempt to grab eggs on a high ledge despite some eggs already being on the kitchen counter had quickly turned into a culinary war zone where biological warfare had been introduced. When Applejack tried taking over the situation simply to get Spike out of the place, that was when this whole Dragon Code nonsense got brought into the forefront and Spike’s servitude to her declared _for life_. Granny pointing out that Spike belonged with Twilight Sparkle had at first seemed to get them out of their hair…until he came _back_ acting like Twilight was somehow okay with her number one assistant pledging himself into what was rapidly becoming foal slavery from AJ’s point of view.

On top of all _that_ , her werewolf instinct were beginning to kick in, inciting anger within her for having to deal with the increasingly troublesome and annoying dragon. She had to wonder if it was blind devotion to this Dragon Code that kept Spike from seeing how hard she was trying to not blow up in his face or show him some “tough love” by going full-out werewolf and making it clear in a physical sense how she was done with his crap. But she wasn’t at that point. Yet.

“What do you need me to do next?” eagerly inquired the reptilian, his voice suspiciously close to sounding a bit like he was desperate for something to keep him busy.

“Ah, well…” Applejack began, she herself desperately trying to hide both her anger and the stench of the mutant pie Spike had baked and set on the windowsill to cool a few minutes ago. She quickly began looking around the immediate area trying to figure out something Spike could do that wasn’t going to end horribly. Field Plowing? No. Fence Whitewashing? No. Firewood chopping? Celestia above, no! Running out of options, and tolerance for that horrible pie she could still smell (amplified by her being a werewolf), she resorted to having to involve one of her friends.

“Er, I want you to…uh…” Applejack began, zipping over to the window and back to fetch the foul thing that was allegedly a pie, “…help me take some of the pie you made to-“

“Rarity?” asked Spike, his pupils noticeably dilating in size at the mention of the target of his affections.

“Uh…sure, why not.” Applejack said, regretfully, as she and the dragon went off to go give Rarity something that should have never existed.  
___________________________________________________________________________________  
Applejack was amazed at the quick recovery Rarity had made even after having to just taste that abomination resembling a pie. She’d gone from looking as sick as could be do squealing all over the place upon Applejack mentioning Spike submitting himself to indentured servitude, almost as if the fashionista was the one this headache was supposed to be for and not incidentally the werewolf who had her own share of problems.

“Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have somepony forever in my debt!” said Rarity, still squealing about something that never happened, “I’d get them to organize my clothes, and give me pedicures, and help me with my sewing, and-“

“Okay, Ah get it! Havin’ somepony to do things for you would be a dream come true. But Ah don’t feel right havin’ Spike thinkin’ he owes me somethin’. You tasted that pie. Sometimes his help isn’t that helpful.”

As if to prove her point, the sound of something crashing could be heard, followed by Spike leading a growing mountain of soap bubbles…which he evidently intended to clean up with a broom before the bubbling smooze swallowed him up. Applejack had to wonder just what it was Twilight was teaching him if he thought a broom was the tool for a job. Not to mention he usually did the dishes at Golden Oaks anyway, from what Twilight had said some time ago, so the idea he’d somehow become inept at everything under the sun seemed extremely odd.

Then Rainbow Dash happened to show up. “AJ, Rarity, what’s happening?”

“Oh, nothing much” replied the unicorn, somehow completely ignoring the bubbles continuing to grow in the hallway and probably already having ruined an imported rug or three, “just that Applejack saved Spike’s life and now he’s declared he will serve her forever.”

“Sweet! What are you having him do? Wash your laundry? Clean your room? Help you with your unfinished novel? Mine’s about this awesome pegasus who’s the best flyer ever and ends up being the captain of the Wonderbolts!”

Rarity threw a sarcastic comment on how horribly cliché it all sounded, which Rainbow naturally didn’t pick up on.

Applejack, meanwhile, was still concerned about the dragon trying to help her in ways she didn’t need. “Thing is, I don’t really want him to serve me forever, but I don’t know how to get him to stop.” In truth she did have one way, but it involved sharp claws, razor teeth, and possible psychological trauma, so it wasn’t really a viable option.

Rainbow Dash, however, seemed to be of a different opinion; “That’s easy! Just make him help you with something really, really hard!”

“Ah dunno, Ah don’t want him to get hurt, Ah just want him to stop.”

But Rainbow assured her friend that she was confident her plan would work. The “plan” as it turned out, was to convince Spike to build a giant tower of heavy rocks for Rainbow to knock over, with the idea being he’d stop due to the seemingly impossible workload of the task. At the same time, Rarity was horrified to see Spike’s “solution” to the bubble problem was to remove what looked like a key part of her kitchen plumbing. It was at that point she was re-evaluating whether or not Spike was of good indentured slave material.

* * *

“There has to be something here, I know it” said Celestia to herself as she poured over some ancient rosters of the guard from the early days of her reign. Nearby, almost the entire archivist staff was doing the same, all effort devoted to trying to find that one name: Bronze Shield. Even though much of Castle Everfree had been destroyed, along with most of its contents, in the battle between Celestia and Nightmare Moon, the archives had somehow escaped destruction and were largely intact. As a result, they had been one of the first things to be moved to the then-still unfinished Castle Canterlot, the new capital of Equestria. But Celestia was losing hope fast of finding this mysterious name, wondering if one or two roster scrolls had not escaped destruction or were lost in the move.

“Your majesty!” called out one of the archivists, “I’ve found it!”

Half running, half flying, Celestia hurried over to where the archivist gestured. Around the table the other archivists gathered as well.

“Show me, Ebony Ink,” said Celestia.

Ebony gestured with a hoof to a specific name was written. Sure enough, clear as day it read “Bronze Shield”.

“When was this made?” demanded the sun princess, the sinking feeling in her stomach only growing.

“The date places this roster about a few years into your reign, your highness.” Replied Ebony, “Hmm…there seems to be some kind of notation mark here on the name, something about him being part of the 34th centurion of the Guard at the time. If you don’t mind me asking, Princess, why is this name so-“

“How and why I know of Bronze Shield’s name is of any importance is something that is a private crown matter for the moment, Ebony. The fact he’s part of the 34th doesn’t surprise me, but I don’t know why.”

“I do, the 34th is the only Royal Guard centuria in history that went AWOL as traitors, at least until your sister tried to overthrow you and the subsequent reorganization of the Guard to make all basic groups into regiments.”

Celestia would have snapped at Ebony for the unintentional insult to the younger princess had that been the only detail. But if the 34th was the only rebel regiment of that entire time frame, that meant…

“Who was in charge of the 34th?” asked Celestia, not even bothering to try to hide the worry in her voice.

Another archivist spoke up: “I do believe it was Coronet Sable Loam, your highness, I remember reading about some kind of obsession with wolves that made him so…unique.”

At that moment, all the archivists hid their shock at what could only be Celestia’s face growing visibly pale. Celestia herself couldn’t believe what this information meant.

_Sable Loam took his entire centurion up to Sombra, so that means every member of that wolf-loving cult was turned into a werewolf,_ thought Celestia, the pieces finally falling into place. _It’s certain that the majority of the werewolves got out of the Crystal Empire before Sombra made it vanish for a thousand years, so it’s reasonable to assume this Bronze Shield fellow made it back to Equestria proper. But if Luna’s story is true, that the first known case of a fading cutie mark was on a pony who was a werewolf, then…then what?_

Celestia realized that she was getting worked up over nothing. It was all coincidence, the fact Twilight was asking something purely out of theoretical speculation that happened to be possibly related to werewolves. Additionally, Celestia realized where she'd heard the name Bronze Shield from; he'd been Sable's right hand pony, which only reinforced the connection as Bronze had been the first of the few werewolves who had sought her forgiveness after Luna's banishment. The big scare with Applejack having been theorized to be one by Big Mac probably didn’t help matters, either. But as long as Twilight wasn’t saying she knew a pony whose cutie mark was fading, then there was no real issue at hoof.

“Your majesty, are you alright?” asked a concerned Ebony Ink.

Celestia snapped back to reality, color returning to her white face “Huh? What? Oh, sorry. I thought something was terribly wrong, but it was just me making connections where there were none to be made. Thank you, all of you, I no longer require your assistance at this present time. However, I would like this specific roster to be kept at the ready should I need to view it again soon.”

“As you wish, Princess.”

**Author's Note:**

Apologies for no update on Monday, college got in the way and it completely slipped my mind.


	15. Book1 Ch.15 SAYS (If Applejack was also a Werewolf) - Part 2

Chapter 15: SAYS (if Applejack was also a werewolf)

As Applejack stared at the massive tower of rocks still being built by the diminutive dragon, she was having trouble figuring out why what should have been the most tiring and dangerous task he’d yet undertaken was the only one that had gone off without a hitch. She had to admit that his work ethic was certainly commendable, but here it was being put to use for the most inane of things.

Rainbow, on the other hand, was the one who would be suffering the most from this plan having backfired. While she did have plenty of athleticism and strength for a pegasus mare to back up her boasting, the whole “smashing through rocks” had naturally not been said with confidence. The look of concern on her face told the whole story, while Spike continued to build the tower almost as high as the average cottage in Ponyville.

“Oh, goodness, If it had been me, I would have just pretended that I didn’t have anything for him to do,” Fluttershy, who happened to walk onto the scene, commented.

“Now why didn’t Ah think of that?” rhetorically asked Applejack, not taking her eyes off of the creation of stone in front of her. It was as if some cosmic entity had been enlisted to help Spike build the abomination, as by all rights the way it was not straight up should have made it topple an hour ago. Yet Spike stood at the top of his reality-breaking monument to serving Applejack.

**“IS THIS HIGH ENOUGH?”** Spike shouted down from his lofty location. The fact he had to shout was more than enough evidence that it was plenty high already. Applejack called her unwanted helper down by confirming the task was done, fearful that if that thing actually did fall with Spike on top of it, it wouldn’t be pretty for anypony.

“Bad news; he actually ended up building the whole rock tower. Good news…I’ve got a rock tower to knock down” Rainbow moaned as she began her reluctant ascent into the sky. As she began preparing to do the deed, Spike was shouting an unending stream of encouragement and getting a little too much into things. Applejack and Fluttershy, meanwhile, were wisely backing _far_ away into a nearby shelter. That tower was going to fall and nopony wanted to be turned into a pony pancake from the falling rubble. Finally, as the two ponies and one dragon watched, RD shot into the tower and did indeed make it crumble.

Spike, still oblivious to the actual danger he was in by not being under the shelter, was awestruck by the awesome sight of a blue pony smashing into rocks. He was also completely unfazed when a rather large boulder landed not a foot away in front of him. He then asked Rainbow if she wanted Applejack (as in, himself) to rebuild the entire thing so she could do it again.  
Rainbow, for whatever reason, actually agreed. To her credit, however, she then passed out from the massive headache a pony would get from smashing into giant rock towers and not instantly dying or sustaining serious physical harm.  
Applejack, however, would have none of it.

**“NO!”** she cried out, rushing up to see if the cyan pegasus needed help. “Ah don’t think she needs any more of your help, and by your help, Ah mean my help. Isn’t that right Rainbow?”

“Yeah, I think I’m good…for now,” Rainbow hazily responded, regaining consciousness.

“And so am I, Ah just can’t think of one more thing Ah need your help with, so you don’t need to do anythin’ else.” Applejack was hoping that was the end of it, the end of Spike constantly following her around and doing everything for her.

Unfortunately, Spike’s dedication to the idea of “lifetime servitude” found a different way out of Applejack not outright telling him to do things. That he could continue to prove he is a noble dragon by helping her with things “she didn’t even know she needed help with.”

Fluttershy stated the obvious: “I think that if Applejack needed help with something, she’d know what she needed help with.”  
Spike, however, was having none of it. “What if Applejack needs help realizing what she needs help with? Like, maybe your back itches!” He then jumped proceeded to scratch Applejack’s back.

“ _Huuuh_ …that _does_ feel…good,” said the mare as the pleasurable sensation reached her brain. At the same time, her hind leg began to move up and down, an involuntary movement from the stimulation. Neither pegasus noticed, however, as Spike quickly decided Applejack needed help with something else. Like remembering her favorite song, to which he began singing a little ditty AJ had never head in her life (and for the record, her favorite song was “Cotton Eye Joe”). Or that she needed help with breathing.

“Breathin’? Ah certainly do not need help breath-“ Applejack retorted, but was cut off by Spike ramming a bellow pump into her mouth and proceeding to inflate her like a balloon by means nopony would ever know save maybe Pinkie Pie. Thankfully, he pulled the pump out and she deflated back to her normal size.

Spike may as well have been living out his own delusions of servitude at that point when he continued to be obvious of how annoying he was getting; “See? There are plenty of things I can help you with, and you don’t even have to-“

**“NO!”** shouted Applejack, her patience wearing extremely thin at that point. It was taking every last bit of her self-control to not shift into a wolf and maul the little bastard right then and there. She took several deep breaths, calming herself down, before adding “No, Spike, Ah’ll think of them. Lemme think of ‘em.”

“As you wish,” replied Spike, somehow not concerned with Applejack’s out-of-character anger at him. Her outburst had not gone unnoticed by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, however. They silently agreed she was just getting fed up with him, but they also suspected there might have been something else at play. But for the moment, the main objective was to get Spike to leave Applejack in peace.

* * *

Elsewhere, nearby, Iron Will and co. were setting up more timberwolf traps. Or rather, Willy and Nilly were doing it while Iron Will just looked at a giant map detailing the part of the forest they were closest to.

“Uh-huh, yeah…yeah…right there is good” supervised Iron Will. “We’re going to do better this time, boys, Iron Will knows it!”  
The plan this time was to test a modification to Iron Will’s tactics of wolf catching. Instead of going into the forest himself, he was going to remove all the dangerous variables such as getting ambushed by hordes of timberwolves like last time. Now the plan was to just lure them out of the forest with various kinds of bait. Stinky cheese, tenderized meat (from The Meatery, of course), even a rather cheesy looking cardboard 2-D mock up of a female timberwolf wearing excessive makeup and a dress so hideous Rarity would think Iron Will was trying to torture the cardboard with bad fashion. Iron Will rationalized that werewolves and timberwolves would behave in similar ways, being just types of wolves as he saw it, so if he could trap timberwolves like this, then werewolves could be attracted the same way. Heck, if he was lucky, he’d catch a pony who had fallen for the bait and be able to snatch up the werewolf he needed to gain the hand of the princess.

“Yeah, like Iron Will is going to be that lucky…” grumbled the minotaur as he put the map down and actually started putting down some traps himself. While it would be nice to get this thing over and done with, his actual concern was what he had to do in the event one of the mythical monsters fell into his traps. The fact he never completed the courtship rituals because of his book deal was actually only half the story. The other half was that he really didn’t like the idea of actually taking the life of another creature. Monstrous or not, they were just as alive as he and any other innocent creature on the planet, and he’d had to learn how to be aggressively assertive during his calf years to hide his secretly non-violent side. The things he’d learned in being aggressive had been the cornerstone for what would become his award-winning self-help programs, and he himself had adopted the persona full time as a result, but as fearsome as he appeared he was truly a gentle giant if given the chance.

Then again, if he _had_ to back up his aggressive nature and start inflicting real pain on enemies for any reason, he wasn’t afraid to put his muscular build to use as a weapon. To him, there was a difference between hurting something and actually killing it, but there needed to be justification for that.

Iron Will had to stop and wonder about that, a wolf trap half-unfolded in his hands. Were werewolves truly innocent? Almost all the stories about them involved horrible, brutal attacks on defenseless ponies, plus if the story was true then one actually had killed the minotaur queen of old. So, in a sense, if Iron Will did find a werewolf, there was almost certainly justification for hurting it, maybe even killing it, in the name of avenging the queen. But there were still other moral questions to be asked, ones Iron will was still trying to find the answers to, so as he pondered he continued to lay down the traps. One thing would lead to another, but as far as he was concerned at the moment, he couldn’t go home until he had a werewolf carcass draped on his shoulder and the battle scars to prove the kill was true.

* * *

_He actually agreed to it!_ thought Applejack as she trotted over to Golden Oaks, Spike for once not begging for more slave work. _He actually agreed to count every single blade of grass on the farm. Every last one!_

Indeed, Spike’s Dragon Code made him cheerfully agree to even do the impossible. On the bright side, he didn’t actually require her to be around while he did stuff for her, so while he was performing a task that simply could not go wrong in any conceivable way, Applejack was going to get Twilight’s side of this story. She’d doubted Twilight would so easily agree to let Spike leave her care, even the unicorn realized that without his help, the library would be a disaster zone every time Twilight was looking for a specific book in the collection.

Letting herself into the tree, Applejack was surprised Twilight hadn’t been there to greet her. Instead, the studious mare was found doing some very intensive reading, isolated from the rest of the world. As evidence when Applejack discovered shouting, even right next to Twilight’s ear, did nothing to get her attention. Changing tactics, Applejack instead went over to a desk where everything was perfectly lined up, and nudged an inkwell one inch out of place.

Twilight’s jumpy reaction made Applejack roll her eyes at how her yelling had failed to do the job done by a simple push of an inkwell, a movement so quiet Twilight couldn’t have even heard it normally. But hear it she did.

“Sorry, Ah didn’t mean to scare you,” Applejack apologized as Twilight finally acknowledged the earth pony’s presence.  
“No, it’s okay,” sighed Twilight. “I needed to take a break anyway. What’s going on?”

“Ah know Spike told you that he was gonna follow his Dragon Code and serve me forever after Ah saved him from some timberwolves, and that you were okay with it an-“

“Wait, **what**?!” exclaimed a shocked Twilight.

“He said he told you all about it. Ah’m guessin’ maybe you were a little distracted when he told you?”  
“Maybe a little…”

“Ah knew you wouldn’t have let him go so easily. Anyway, now that you know what’s goin’ on, maybe you can talk some sense into him so he’ll leave me alone?”

It was not reassuring to Applejack that Twilight shook her head before saying “Oh, Applejack, I wish I could, but this is Dragon Code we’re talking about. Surely you know how important the Dragon Code is to a dragon!”

The farmer couldn’t help but look skeptical at the fact Twilight was legitimately treating the Dragon Code like an actual thing that existed. “Twilight, Ah’ve known you for about two years now, both you and Spike, and not _once_ during that period has this Dragon Code ever been mentioned from either of you until today. Furthermore, when Spike was describin’ the code, he held up a card that looks like mah sister drew it in five minutes! In crayon! On top of all that, Ah remember you explicitly statin’ that the night before Spike went on that big ol’ dragon migration thing, neither you nor Spike nor a single book in this library knew _anythin_ ’ about dragon culture and behavior, or dragon anythin’! But now you’re tellin’ me that’s not true anymore?”

Twilight closed her eyes, trying to remember where she’d heard about the Dragon Code. She was blushing profusely when she realized where the concept had come from.

“Oh, um, yeah…I guess I was getting my facts mixed up. The Dragon Code was actually something I’d theorized from that all-night session with Spike in trying to learn more about his kind. He must have latched onto it thinking it was actually true. But I can’t go and tell him it’s fake, It would crush him and I can’t allow that to happen, for him to learn the one thing he thinks is his connection to his race is based in nothing but conjecture.”

Applejack nickered in annoyance. The fact today’s main issues had been the result of something only theorized by Twilight just making everything worse in that Spike legitimately didn’t have to do anything AJ ordered him to do. “Well then, if you can remember anythin’ about that stupid code that can get him back to normal, Ah’m all ears. Otherwise, you’re gonna have to tell him the truth because Ah can’t have him tryin’ to help me for the rest of time!”

Twilight put a hoof to her muzzle “Hmm…there’s only one other way Spike is gonna fulfill the debt he feels he owes you.”  
Applejack let out a small sigh of relief. There actually was a light at the end of the tunnel, an outcome where Spike would not get mauled by a werewolf pushed beyond her limits of tolerance. Then she realized Twilight probably didn’t know why Spike was even in this position in the first place.

“Okay, great, you can tell me on the way back to the farm. But before we go, Ah need to know just what Spike is supposed to be doin’ today instead of enslaving himself to me.”

“Well, I told him to take the day off. Princess Celestia sent me all these medical texts straight from the Royal Archives that I need to read by the end of the weekend, so I had no need for him today.”

“So what you’re saying is that you have no idea of what he’s been doing today whatsoever, before pledgin' himself to my service?”

“No, I’ve been too engrossed in my books I guess. Why, does it involve how you saved him from the timberwolves?”  
It was then the pieces fit into place. Spike hadn’t been trying to recover the balloon, at least not initially. He was the reason it ended up in the Everfree in the first place!

“Twilight, before Ah tell you what he’s been doin’, Ah think you need to give him more ideas about what he can do on his days off that don’t involve puttin' himself and others in danger.”

* * *

Intellectual Pursuit was just merrily trotting around Ponyville, taking in stock of his surroundings. Namely, he was marking out exit routes and hiding places in the event his real identity was discovered. Highly unlikely, but he’d underestimated situations before and was only still alive because he’d gotten the lay of the land earlier. He’d been employed in such a position once, many years ago, but in service of cowards who refused to go head first into the unknown. After all these years, being able to discover something new, something surprising was one of the highlights of his life. Even though he’d visited almost every corner of the continent in his long life, the element of the unknown was the thrill that continued to drive him.

In fact, that had been how he’d met her, an unpredicted event that would permanently change his path. Even though he’d planned to meet her for years, as part of his master plan to rise back to power, she hadn’t been what he’d expected. Unlike most ponies who had found him rummaging through their stuff, a monster of horrible legend that was to be feared, she had not been like that. Rather, she found him…interesting. The fact she’d pretty much given him everything he’d wanted at the time was a big surprise, but the most shocking thing had been her willingness to come with him back into the wilds. He couldn’t remember exactly, but she’d been a married housewife, with a school-age foal no less. And she was willing to leave it all behind to be with him. To be like him.

It had been simple enough: together they had ransacked the home to make it look like she’d been attacked by some foul beast. He remembered her blood had tasted so sweet as he sunk his fangs into her neck, the crimson fluid dripping out and staining anything it touched. While they never returned to that home, he knew the scene found by what had once been her family was that of a vicious struggle, one that pointed to her murder and subsequent spiriting away by feral forces to be some creature’s dinner. To some extent it had been true, the pony she had been had died by his work, remaining only in the house by smears of blood and a shattered family portrait.

But the creature she had become was beautiful beyond words. She had accepted the change, the first of his many victims to do so. She couldn’t really even be called a victim, since she’d outright asked him to do it. Rather, she had been a kindred spirit to him, one who loved seeing new things and places, experiencing the unknown, living the way nature had wanted to maintain. She even managed to escape the fate of those whom he had previously bitten, for she remained the way he had made her into, instead of devolving into a beast that, while still noble, didn’t make for good companionship for conversation. Those whom he had also forced into being part of his pack also tended to eventually die soon after, but not her. By some blessing of a higher power, she had turned into the perfect counterpart of him, forever to be loyal and at his side. Together, they were to have made a new empire, one that would have toppled the false throne and ruled over all of ponykind the way it was supposed to be.

At least, until that one night years ago when she was taken away from him. He had hated Celestia since a time even he could not remember, but the actions of that pretender to the throne against him were too much. The proverbial knife in his back was only driven in further when, no less than two years ago, the once rebellious Princess Luna was restored from a millennia of lunar imprisonment. She had been a far worse offender as Nightmare Moon than his beloved had ever been, yet while Celestia had permanently separated him from his love, she’d welcomed her former wannabe-usurper counterpart with love and kisses all the way back to the shared throne.

_Neither Celestia nor her equally bastardized sister even call themselves a queen,_ thought Pursuit. _Those false avatars of the sun and moon refuse to take the title from their dear mother - Queen Faust. If_ that _doesn’t show how weak they are, then I don’t know what would!_

He then realized he was hyperventilating, out of righteous rage of course, but it would still not do for him to expose his agenda to the loyal subjects of the divided crown. Darting into an alleyway, he calmed himself down and fixed his disguised persona to that of some stupid scholar type. The disguise charm on the locket only worked in the physical sense, one had to maintain a mental state of falsehood to fully hide in plain view.

At that same moment, he saw Twilight Sparkle leaving Golden Oaks along with the orange pony of his interest. Applejack was her name, if he recalled correctly. He smiled as he watched them go by, before proceeding to subtly follow them. He could tell by Applejack’s tail being in an almost constant movement that she was already well on her way to becoming the ripe fruit he so wished to pick. Normally he would have just been satisfied to see her progress in getting turned, but these two were up to something and he felt a little curious as to what it was.

* * *

“Well he would be terrifying, if he wasn’t **A FAKE**!”

Applejack couldn’t believe it. The plan had been perfect. Have her get attacked by the fake timberwolf and stage the whole thing so it looked like she was really in danger. Spike would “save” her, thus making things even between him and her, and she could get rid of him. But somewhere in execution, something was off, and Spike had noticed.

“The roar was spot on, and the detail on the face is pretty good, but you forgot one thing: his breath! You can smell a real timberwolf’s breath from a mile-“ Spike continued, but was immediately cut off when something that was unmistakably timberwolf breath wafted in the air. Spike laughed, thinking it was too little, too late in order to trick him…but then Twilight came running out of the forest and Rainbow declaring there actually _were_ timberwolves.

Applejack looked into the forest, instinctively crouching for fight-or-flight, as the source of the bad odors appeared. Three timberwolves had shown up, the fact is was exactly three made Applejack wonder if it was the same trio from this morning. But no time to worry about that as she quickly chose the flight response and ran away, Spike in hot pursuit.

Conveniently, the spot where the rock tower had been built was right there, so as Spike kept on running, Applejack ascended the rock pile and managed to make a triple strike combo by pushing off a large rock, taking out all three wolves at once. However, right after it looked like the danger was clear, the rock Applejack was on top of dislodged itself and fell, taking the hapless pony with it. Luckily, she landed without any injuries.

The orange mare sighed in relief, “Phew, that coulda been-“

_*SNIKT*_

“Ow!” she suddenly cried out, a burst of pain erupting from her left hind leg. Wincing in pain, she looked back to find one of the rocks had opened up like a clam, with a spring-loaded metal claw coming out of it and having clamped tightly around her leg.

To make matters worse, the remains of the timberwolves began to glow a sickly green. Applejack and Spike could only watch as the remains formed into a single leg, but with other, giant pieces of timber coming out of the forest and combining into what looked like one giant timberwolf.

“Applejack, c’mon!” cried Spike, not wanting to stick around to see what a giant timberwolf really looked like.

But try as she might, she couldn’t dislodge herself from the trap. “Ah-Ah can’t! Ah’m really stuck!”

“No more messing around! Let’s go!”

It was no use, the claw would not let go. Applejack still didn’t stop trying to get out of the trap, not until very loud and raspy breathing was coming from the giant timberwolf in front of her. The wooden creature roared, sending Applejack’s heightened senses into a cacophony of horror as she smelled things nopony should ever smell. Granted, she probably could take the thing on herself, if she shifted into a wolf right then, but not while Spike was around.

“Forget it, Spike, you gotta get outta here!” shouted Applejack, half out of concern for the dragon, half out of wanting him just to get out of there so she could get loose from the trap without him seeing.

The timberwolf giant stomped closer, knocking Spike onto his back. He made no move to leave.

“Would you forget your Dragon Code already and go?!”

To her surprise, he suddenly leaped up and in between her and the timberwolf.

“No!” he declared, “I have to save you!” He proceeded to throw a small rock he happened to have picked up right into the timberlined maw of fowl breath before him. Amazingly, the rock appeared to get stuck in the creature’s windpipe (if it even had one), and as it tried to dislodge the rock it started to break apart from its coughing.

“Let’s get outta here!” said Spike as he moved to try and free Applejack from the trap. Unfortunately, it would require some fidelity that the situation wouldn’t allow, so instead of running away, Spike just lifted the trap boulder while Applejack limped behind the rock pile. The two made it just in time for the giant timberwolf to explode, bits of enchanted tree and bark falling like rain from the sky.

“I-I think it’s finally over!” exhaled Spike, dropping the prohibitively heavy trap boulder.

“Ah hope so, if that thing has an even bigger cousin, Ah don’t wanna meet the family! Now, can you get your claws workin’ to free me from this thing?”

A third, masculine voice then made itself known: “Iron Will demands that you not touch that trap!”

Applejack paled. How in the world did she end up getting into a trap set by the local werewolf hunter during that whole mess?! She was done for now, that’s all she could think about.

Spike, on the other hand, was incredulous; “Why not? Can’t you see she needs help getting out of it?”

“Ah, but that trap was meant to catch wolves, so the only logical conclusion Iron Will can see of how a pony can be caught in it is if she herself is a werewolf!”

Yep. She was done for. Or she would have been if Spike hadn’t thought fast.

"Does she look like a werewolf to you? I mean, c'mon. I've known her for years! If she's a werewolf, I'm a griffon!"  
“Iron Will doesn’t see what you mean-“

“If Applejack here was a werewolf, don’t you think she’d look more like, y’know, _a wolf_? Like, her coat would be longer, she’d have fangs coming out of her mouth, and she’d have actual paws instead of hooves?”

Iron Will put his hand up to his chin, thinking about what the dragon had said. Coming to the conclusion that Applejack did not look like a wolf, he realized the trap had misfired.

“Iron Will knew he shouldn’t have gotten the cheap ACME brand boulder-camo traps, no wonder the sales clerk said they’re more reliable in catching coyotes. My apologies, miss, let me get that off you.”

Kneeling down, Iron Will easily pulled the claw apart far enough for Applejack to get her slightly bruised leg out. Apologizing once again, the minotaur then walked off with the trap in hand, thinking about what different kinds of traps to try. He was also wondering why the trap hadn’t done much worse to the poor pony’s leg beyond just bruising it, but she looked like a well-built work pony so maybe she was just that tough.

Applejack was just relieved. Spike had managed to save her life not once, but _twice_ within a timespan of five minutes. It was all she could do to say “Thanks, Spike.”

“Hey, no problem. I guess I must have picked up that trap by accident since it, well, looked like a good rock to use for the rock tower. What was with that fake timberwolf attack, though?”

Applejack sighed. “Look, Ah know this Dragon Code thing is important to you, but if somethin’ like this comes up in the future, do you think maybe we can go back to _my_ code, say ‘that’s what friends do’ and leave it at that? Ah promise Ah won’t think of you as any less noble. Ah also probably won’t end up killing you, because Ah swear if you ever try being super-helpful like this to me ever again, Ah seriously will not be able to stop mahself from tearing you a new one.

“Ahahaha…yeah…sounds good to me” Spike cringed, hoping Applejack’s implied death threat was in jest. “But, maybe let’s just try to avoid situations where one of us actually needs the other one to save their life?”

“Deal!”

The two bumped appendages, claw to hoof, before they departed, Applejack slightly limping from the residual pain from the bruises inflicted from the trap, although with each step the pain was lessening.

* * *

From a distance away, Intellectual Pursuit had seen the whole thing. He had been rather interested to see what Applejack would do if faced against a larger, much more dangerous enemy. However, between the unexplained clap-trap in the boulder and the intervention of the baby dragon, it had not been a good setup for evaluating her abilities anyway.  
 _But maybe I can set something up to test her,_ mused Pursuit as he turned to head back to Ponyville proper. There was research to be done. And threats to test the orange werewolf against to arrange.


	16. Book1 Ch.16 Extreme Inconvenience

Chapter 16: Extreme Inconvenience

The level of ecstasy that Applejack felt as she went on her first forest run in weeks was impossible to describe. She’d decided to take two weeks off from running after the incident with the dogs, not even trying to go running around the farm after nearly giving herself away the first time, just to be safe. The urge to run had been sated somewhat with an intense race with Rainbow Dash earlier in the week, but she couldn't fully feed the need for speed without the extra traction her padded paws gave her. The hunger to let loose, to indulge that wild side, was finally being met; and Applejack couldn't be happier.

But there were other thoughts nagging at her as she followed the old path from that first night back to Castle Everfree. During the race with Rainbow Dash, the desire Applejack had of winning was in conflict with another desire. One to keep looking at the plot of the pegasus she was racing.

While the idea of her wanting to stare at another mare’s plot was uncomfortable enough simply because Applejack didn't swing that way, it was why Rainbow’s butt was so appealing that truly horrified Applejack. Rainbow had a very tasty looking plot. With “tasty” being used to describe something she actually wanted to eat. Like food.

Applejack ran harder, shaking her head to try and get the horrifying mental images out of her head. But the images of Rainbow Dash being bloodily cut up to be rendered into food just wouldn't leave. To try and make things slightly easier on her psyche, Applejack tried to think of Rainbow Dash being horribly mutilated and turned into cupcakes. However, the idea was no less horrifying, and the result only generated another mental image of Pinkie Pie’s “alternate” mood where she was wearing parts of other ponies she’d murdered like some kind of sick dress.

Worst of all, though, had to be how Applejack envisioned herself in the middle of all this. In her mind’s eye, she could only see herself as the wolf she was now, with a few differences that truly made her look more canine than equine. Internally, however, this Applejack was a much different pony, if she could even be called that anymore. Feral and uncontrollable, there was no trace of the farm pony in the beast rampaging on a bloody mission. Rainbow Dash had only been the first victim, the other element bearers soon found themselves viciously ripped apart by fangs and claws to feed the monster, neither pony nor wolf. Then it was the rest of her family; Granny was easily dispatched, Big Mac soon after. Finally, all there was left in the mental nightmare was a wounded, bleeding Apple Bloom, caught in a corner and begging for Applejack’s mercy. But this monstrosity only saw her sister as food and with a sudden leap the corrupted element of honesty flew at the helpless filly…

…and in reality Applejack slammed headfirst into a tree. It took a few moments to recover from the resulting daze, but otherwise she was unharmed physically.

Mentally, however, AJ knew she was losing control of herself, of this werewolf thing. Surely her friends could help, or maybe Zecora could make some kind of potion that would lessen the urges to eat ponies. Yet at the same time the feeling inside of her, the one that wanted her to keep this werewolf thing a secret, was protesting those ideas.

_What am Ah gonna do?_ lamented the troubled lycanthrope as she sat on the forest ground, torn on what she was to do. She couldn't keep up the lying forever, sooner or later she’d make a mistake and the whole town would fear her, the next monster to terrorize the town. But her friends would need to know, it was bad enough none of them knew while Sandalwood and Lyra, two ponies she didn't interact with nearly as much, had forced the secret from her. There would be a time to spill the beans, that much was true, but there was no way to know when that time would come. And until then, Applejack would be a prisoner within her own body, fighting a losing struggle against the thing she was turning into.

She felt it coming, but did nothing to stop it. Tilting her head towards the moon, she let out a weak howl, mirroring her own self-perception. It was so weak that nothing in the forest seemed to pay it any heed, as if it had never happened. Applejack was jealous of the Everfree Forest for that: if there was anything it wanted to ignore; it could do so without problem. The same could not be said of the poor farmer, not when it her problem influenced her very behavior.

Except she had something the forest did not: she had the smartest unicorn in all of Equestria for a best friend.  
 _Ah gotta stop hidin’ this from mah own friends_ , thought Applejack, mentally shouting down that other feeling that kept trying to tell her doing so was a bad idea _. It’s only hurtin’ everypony the longer Ah keep this under wraps. Tomorrow…the truth comes out_. With her resolve boosted, she took off back to the farm to hopefully get some sleep. If everything went to plan, it would be a long day ahead of her, but at least she wouldn't have to fight against her own element afterwards.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

“H-hold on, please!” Fluttershy called out as she descended the steps. She could have simply glided down, but it was extremely early in the morning, Luna hadn’t even lowered the moon yet, so the rudely awakened pegasus wasn't going to risk crashing due to a groggy head. The fact remained, however, that somepony was banging on the door and had rudely awakened her. The most confusing part of it all, though, was that she didn't know who could possibly be calling at this hour.  
Opening the door, she found a strangely hyper Twilight standing outside, a letter written on royal parchment floating in midair next to her and surrounded by the unicorn’s purple magic aura.

“Ohthankgoodnessyou’reawakeFluttershyIreallydoapplologizebutrightnowthereisasituationinFillydelphiathatIreallyneedyourhelpwith!”

Before Fluttershy could ask for clarification, Spike, who happened to be standing next to the out-of-character Twilight, provided it; “Princess Celestia sent a letter asking for Twilight’s help. According to the princess, there’s an ursa minor causing problems all along the forest border near Fillydelphia and since Twilight dealt with the ursa here in Ponyville she felt it would be wise for her to handle the problem in Filly.”

“ButI’drathernotresorttoasmuchpropertydamageasIwasforcedtoperformlasttimesoIwashopingyoucouldcomealongandhelpcalmtheursadownbeingthatyourspecialtalentworksongiantcreaturesaswellassmallones,” blurted Twilight, clearly not used to speaking in the same fashion as Pinkie Pie.

Fortunately, Fluttershy had caught enough of the words to understand the situation. “Oh, of course I’ll come! That ursa is probably just distraught over something and can’t find its mother. Just let me go pack some things, but before that…erm…” Fluttershy brushed the ground with her hoof nervously before asking “are you feeling alright, Twilight?”

“WhyyesIactuallyfeelquiteenergeticwellnotinamagicalsenseasIdon’thavethepowerofanalicornoranythingbutmaybeit’smoreofaphyiscialsenseas-“

Spike cut his adoptive big sister off; “Twilight wanted to try coffee so she could be as awake this early as she normally is during the lighted part of the day. Unfortunately, she tried to make the coffee herself and I suspect may have put one too many scoops of sugar into the mix.”

“Scoops?” asked Twilight, raising an eyebrow at her lifelong companion, “Thebookdidn’tsayanythingaboutaddingsugarintothecoffeeonlythatitwasprettycaffinatedexceptIwasn’tsurehowcaffinateditwassoIjustmadethesamebatchofcoffeeoverandovertotryandincreasetheamountofcaffinesoIwouldbeenergeticenoughforthisendevor.ObviouslyIsucceeedno?”

Spike faceplamed and Fluttershy just cringed. This was going to be a long trip with hyperactive Twilight, and then even longer once the energy rush died and made the unicorn into a sluggish mass of fur, horn, and limbs.

Hidden in the woods, out of both sight and hearing, a dark figure overheard the entire conversation. He grinned, revealing his sharpened canines. This was the moment he’d been waiting for, to begin the more “interactive” part of his plan. With Celestia’s favored pupil and the weak-willed pegasus out of the way, there was only one pony who could stop what was in store.

Of course, that was exactly what he wanted. Taking care to not be noticed, the inequine presence made his way to another side of Ponyville. This time, his destination was The Meatery. Oh, how he wanted to partake in the succulent delights that no doubt resided within the kitchens! However, doing so would throw suspicion onto whatever disguise he was using due to most ponies refusing to acknowledge the fact meat was a perfectly good item on the menu, and he was above having to scrounge through refuse for edibles. For materials to enable his plans, however, was a perfectly justifiable reason for dumpster diving. Especially since The Meatery was the only establishment for miles that would throw out the things he needed.

It was harder than he thought. The tantalizing smell of all that meat just inside the back door to the kitchen almost made him go completely feral and just raid the place right then and there. Only the promise of eventually being able to eat such meats to his heart’s content through his current objective kept him focused. On the other hoof, it was exactly what he wanted, because he’d need the best meat smells he could get if the plan was to work. Once again, lady luck was on his side, as the things he sought were still fresh from the preparation work, more than enough was available for his purposes. With his resources gathered, there was no time to lose as he bolted off into the night. He had a long way to travel, longer still when factoring in the return trip, but the end result was going to be so worth the hardship.  
___________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning…

“Sweetie Belle, you’re going to be late for school!” Rarity tapped her hoof impatiently. Normally her little sister was better about being on time for school, but right now the tiny unicorn had taken over the bathroom and had been working on something for a period of time much longer than what she usually devoted to things.

“Alright, alright! I’m done!” called back Sweetie, the sound of her decent following close behind. Yet, the…thing…that came to a stop in front of Rarity, while looking like Sweetie Belle, did _not_ look like Sweetie Belle at the same time.

“Sweetie, have you been trying to use my hair styling tools again?!” intoned Rarity, the answer already obvious. While it was easy enough to see the younger sister had actually tried to replicate the big sister’s hair curls on her own, inexperience and complete lack of knowledge on how to use said tools had turned Sweetie Belle’s mane into a stark parody of Rarity’s hair so horrid that words simply do not exist to aptly describe what sat on top of her head.

“Um…yes?” replied the offender, hoping that honesty would mean less trouble. Rarity just rolled her eyes as she magically summoned the abused tools from the upstairs water closet. Now back in the grip of their master, the devices made short work of restoring Sweetie’s mane back to its usual large curls.

“You know I've told you not to use these things, sister, they’re not meant to be held physically in one’s hooves.” Scolded Rarity, “since we both know your magic hasn't yet manifested itself beyond the occasional spark or two, I suspect that’s exactly what happened isn't it?”

“Yeah…” Sweetie despondently confirmed. “I was just trying to make myself look more fashionable to show up Diamond Tiara! She’s been going on and on about how her daddy got her a private hair stylist and just won’t shut up about it!”

“Don’t let her boasts about how much better she is than you get under your fur, Sweetie. Besides, was she one of three fillies chosen to be a flowerfilly at a royal wedding?”

“No.”

“Does she have a big sister who happens to be an element bearer and so is one of the most important ponies in the entire land?”

“No.”

“And does she always end up late for school?”

“No.”

“Well, that’s what somepony is going to be if they don’t get going!” teased Rarity as she nuzzled her smaller counterpart. Taking the hint, Sweetie just giggled before grabbing her saddlebag and heading out the door, off to another day of adventure in learning and ignoring the biggest brat in the entire town.

Rarity watched her sister leave the Boutique, shaking her head in bewilderment at Sweetie’s antics. “At least she was doing it for reasons other than trying to get her cutie mark in hair styling again.” With Sweetie Belle out for the day, Rarity proceeded to get to what she’d planned for the day. Mostly it was just housekeeping and working on an order of fine tuxedo shirts for Canterlot clientele.

The plans changed when Pinkie Pie came over to visit while Rarity was hanging up some finished tuxedos that had just come out of their first wash.

“Hi, Rarity!” called out the party pony.

“A good afternoon to you, too, Pinkie.”

“Watcha doin’?”

“Oh, just setting out these tuxedos to dry. They’re just the first ones of this order I need to fill for some big name director over in Canterlot. He’s doing some kind of musical, _A Chorus Line_ or something.”

“That sounds…productive!” chirped Pinkie, who really thought it actually sounded kind of boring. But it made for a great subject to change topic from. “At least, more productive than what Twilight and Fluttershy are doing.”

“Oh?” Rarity finished putting up the last tuxedo on the line and turned to focus her attention on Pinkie. “What are they up to today?”

“Actually, they've probably been at it since last night, but considering how long it would take them to get to Fillydelphia I guess it would have already been past sunrise when they actually started doing what they went to do.”

“Which was…?” questioned Rarity. A normal pony would have begun to lose their temper at Pinkie, but having known the excitable mare for so long made Rarity understand that Pinkie eventually would get to her point.

“From what I overheard from Gummy, it would seem Fillydelphia is experiencing a problem with an Ursa Minor and since Twilight dealt with the one Snips and Snails angered about a year ago Princess Celestia requested she go assist Filly. She also took along Fluttershy since she’s good with animals and Twilight theorizes that the Ursa is just cranky, which Fluttershy is usually good at fixing.”

“I see.” Replied Rarity. While the idea that Gummy was a reputable source of information, much less a source at all, was ridiculous, Pinkie worked in ways that nopony could explain and the only resolve for anypony dealing with her was “just go with it”. Plus, as a close friend, Pinkie had no reason to try and fool Rarity with a story like that. Then the fashionista remembered she’d had a planned project that Fluttershy’s absence worked out wonderfully for allowing. “Say, Pinkie, do you know when Twilight and Fluttershy will be returning?”

“I dunno, why?”

“Well, there’s something I want to do for Fluttershy, but you have to keep it a secret, alright?”

Pinkie nodded vigorously. Despite her free spirited nature suggesting otherwise, she was definitely one who could be relied upon as a confidant. Even for such a small matter like this.

“Well, I know Fluttershy could probably use a new light jacket, one with wing slits, for those chilly morning when she tends to her animals, so I was going to make one for her. However, it’s a surprise, so you can’t tell, alright?”

“Okey Dokey Lokey!” answered Pinkie, motioning to indicate zipping her mouth, locking it with the key, digging a hole, burying the key in that hole, building a house atop that hole, and then moving into that house.

“Right. Well, I’d best be getting to work on that before these tuxedos dry. I’ll see you later then, Pinkie!” Rarity then trotted into her house-slash-workplace to begin work on her next generous gift. Pinkie, however, did not leave her spot. The moment Rarity closed her front door, the “Pinkie Sense” (Pat. Pend.) began giving the party pony Sizzerific convulsions, which Pinkie knew to mean “stay right where you are”.

Sure enough, five minutes later a much more distressed Rarity came out and looked like she was at a loss as to what to do.

“Oh, Pinkie, it’s terrible!” lamented Rarity, totally not noticing Pinkie had been standing outside her house for no discernable reason, “I had this fabulous shade of burnt umber that I wanted to use for Fluttershy’s new jacket but I don’t have enough material, and there’s no way I’ll make it to the fabric warehouse in time to get more!”

Pinkie, however, knew there was plenty of time. “Rarity” said Pinkie, sticking out a hoof, “grab my hoof.”

Rarity looked quizzically at the extended hoof. “Why would I want to do that, darling?”

“Trust me on this, Rarity” answered Pinkie, winking.

With nothing to lose, Rarity grabbed Pinkie’s hoof. “Okay, I’ve got your hoof. Now what is suppo-“

The world seemed to grow bright all of a sudden, as if everything began to irradiate light brighter than the sun. Except it didn't instantly blind Rarity. Instead, it was if everything was erased from existence, only for it to suddenly begin reforming in a split second.

“-sed to happen?” Rarity was shocked. Somehow, Pinkie and Rarity were now standing in front of the local fabric warehouse on the other side of town, despite having been in front of Carousel Boutique but a second ago.

The pale gray unicorn looked around to make sure this wasn't a hallucination, that what had just happened, happened. “Pinkie, how did you-“

“Sorry, Rarity, I can’t tell you how I did that. I made a Pinkie Promise not to tell!” preempted Pinkie, giving a shrug of apology.

All Rarity could do was shake her head in disbelief once again. This was turning out to be a very interesting, if not perplexing, day.  
__________________________________________________________________________________

If at that very moment, one were to ask Pursuit how his day was going, he would answer “what do _you_ think?”

So far, things had technically gone to plan. He’d made the trip in record time, and of course his simple plan of luring the beast away with the bones had worked, but the lack of available information proved to almost be his downfall once again. He knew the creature was fast, he just didn't know it was just as fast as he was when not in his preferred form.

The creature was also extremely tough, but while he could have taken it on easily that would have defeated the entire point of this misadventure. No, he had to lead it to Ponyville. After all the casing he’d done of the settlement, he was sure the only way to defeat the creature was to have superequine abilities. And to his knowledge, the only two such ponies currently living in Ponyville were himself and Applejack.

The crashing of footfalls behind him prompted him to quicken the pace so that he could keep the cretin behind him on his trail. Just over the horizon of the next hill he could see the familiar windmill just outside of the town. Just a few more minutes running and then he could ditch the bones, still smelling of meat, and run away. A “Boom and Zoom” technique he’d adapted from what he knew of pegasus combat maneuvers in some book he’d read years ago. “War Thunder” or something stupid like that, it had been written in Loshad and he’d never really been good at reading that language.

But it was beside the point. All that mattered right now was getting his charge to the town and seeing if his split second choice months ago had been the right one.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

It had taken some fiddling, but Rarity finally managed to get all her things through the front door of the fabric warehouse. In addition to a fresh bolt of the burnt umber for Fluttershy’s jacket, Rarity had seen fit to pick up some other things she’d been meaning to restock on for the shop. In the end, she was hauling out an entire cartload of goods all with her telekinesis. Following behind her was Pinkie Pie, reared up and carrying more of Rarity’s goods.

“Are you…sure that you…need all this?” groaned Pinkie, although mostly just out of humor. While not as strong as Applejack, Pinkie still had the natural above average strength of all Earth ponies and so really wasn't having problems with the weight.

“You wouldn't believe how much fabric I've had to use lately, Pinkie dear.” Replied Rarity, who unwisely was beginning to behave as if she was just as haughty as a rich countess in Canterlot. “Why, just for the jacket I’m making for you-know-who, I not only need a bolt of the burnt umber but also a few yards of whHHAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAA!”

Out of nowhere, a fast moving, cream colored blur barreled right into Rarity, knocking her down and causing her telekinesis to fail, which meant all of her stuff also fell to the ground. The rude pony didn’t seem affected; still running even though he dropped a sack of something due to the impact. Rarity instantly could smell something horrid in the sack, but she had little time to react before the burnt umber bolt came loose and covered both Rarity and the sack.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Cerberus was tired, hungry, and angry. Its three heads were all in agreement that there had been something that smelled juicy and absolutely delicious, something irresistible. Thus, it had journeyed a very long way from its home in search of that tantalizing meal.

Now, as it finally caught up to the scent, it was like a dream come true. On the ground lay what was unmistakably a gigantic serving of baby back ribs. The burnt sienna color was unmistakably meat bathed in a delicious barbecue sauce, and the bones sticking out were only further confirmation that this was a perfectly sized slab of meat for the three headed guard dog.  
____________________________________________________________________________________

Rarity, having just been knocked to the ground by some rude pony and then having all her goods tossed to the ground, wasn't having a good day. It would have been made worse had Pinkie not quickly grabbed Rarity and dragged her just in time to avoid the crashing paw of Cerberus.

“Wh-hat?!” cried Rarity, still trying to process the sudden turn of events.

“Don’t worry, I got it!” shouted Pinkie, who quickly zipped over to an inconspicuous, hollow tree and began reaching up into it. However, a look of surprise and then frustration washed over the earth pony’s face as she began to try digging harder into the tree.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?!”

“This is supposed to be one of my emergency ball stashes, but the ball isn’t here! I know it’s the yellow ball and the blue stripe with the red star!”

“Well, I’m sure you did something with it but now is not the-“

“Oh! I remember! I gave that ball to a blue dalmatian and a periwinkle cat some time ago! Guess I need to get a replacement, huh?”

Rarity just gave a nondescript annoyed look at Pinkie, “Yes, really, that’s so important to remember something like that instead of trying to help me recover my things from not getting destroyed by that…that…beast!” To underline her point, she gestured to Cerberus, who had already scared off most of the town back into their homes and was now apparently rummaging through the scattered fabric goods Rarity had bought.

“Hmm…okay!” replied Pinkie, oddly cheerful in a situation Rarity would classify as a complete disaster, “I think I know how to fix this!”

“Oh, that’s right, that hoof trick thing!” exclaimed Rarity, now glad that her sugar-blooded friend worked in ways beyond explanation. She stuck out a hoof, expecting Pinkie to take it.

Instead, Pinkie just looked confused. “What do you want me to do, exactly?”

“That thing you did, when you somehow took me and you from my house to the warehouse! Can’t you do it now?”

“Oh, yeah that. Well, erm, I could, but it doesn't work on nonliving things such as your fabrics. Because then I could possibly go invade the private property of other ponies like banks and museums where I could steal things and become rich off of ill-gotten goods that don’t belong to me!”

Rarity rolled her eyes, of course Pinkie wouldn't be able to save her things. And just when this day had been looking so good…

“But there is possibly another way” said Pinkie, determination setting in on her face. “Can you use your magic to hold all of the things?”

“Well, yes, but that would take a lot of concentration and I wouldn't be able to walk more than at a snail’s pace. What good would that do?”

“Speed isn't the problem, believe me on that. What I need you to do is sit on my back.”

“You want me to WHAT?!” Rarity was aghast. The only reason ponies would ever ride another pony bareback is if there was no other option of transporting a pony for a number of reasons, such as leg injury or being infants.

“We don’t have time for this!” countered Pinkie, throwing Rarity’s own concern over the fabrics being destroyed a few feet away against her.

“Oh, alright…” conceded Rarity, who proceeded to climb onto Pinkie’s back. It was a very strange sight; a light gray, purple maned unicorn sitting on the back of the color pink given equine form. It was like something out of children’s entertainment for the level of silly it had.

“Good, now pick up all your stuff!”

Rarity did so, the remains of her shopping trip glowing in a blue aura and rising off of the ground, much to the confusion of Cerberus, whose three heads just looked around trying to understand what had happened. Unfortunately, Rarity’s mental maneuvering of the burnt sienna cloth back into a rolled up bolt was hurried, and so the sack of meat-smelling bones got rolled up inside.

“Now hold on!” announced Pinkie suddenly. Rarity was about to ask why but then felt herself hug Pinkie’s neck tightly as the world suddenly started moving around her at a very fast pace. Pinkie, not being the competitive type, generally didn't demonstrate her natural endurance, which while not allowing speeds on the level of Applejack or Rainbow, did allow her to run at a fairly fast clip with a heavy load on her back, namely one very shocked unicorn.

Cerberus, however, noted the smell of meat moving away and proceeded to barrel down the town streets after it. Having been denied his meat, he was really pissed off and somepony was going to pay.

The chase lasted only maybe three minutes, but to Rarity it was like an eternity. The beast was almost upon the two when Pinkie suddenly made a sliding motion and managed to slip right inside the front door of Carousel Boutique, Rarity and her garment materials in tow.

Slamming the door shut with her telekinesis, Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, at least-“

The ground shook, as something large, heavy, and fast slammed into the side of the building. Luckily for Rarity, Carousel Boutique was actually an experimental building when it was built, years before her family moved into town from Maneiappolis. It was designed to be an extremely study building, able to withstand great abuse from the elements. Right now it was demonstrating its hidden powers by resisting every attack Cerberus made against it. But there was no telling if it would eventually give into the assault.

“Oh, what are we going to do?! That beast is going to destroy the Boutique because we've angered it somehow!” wailed Rarity, her dramatics a little more justified than usual in the face of losing her house.

“Maybe the others can help?” suggested Pinkie, referring to the rest of the Mane Six.

“No, that won’t work, Twilight and Fluttershy won’t ever make it back in time to help!”

“I meant Applejack and Rainbow Dash, silly! I’m sure they can do something to at least buy time until the other two come back.”

“I guess we don’t have much of a choice, but how are you-?”

“Wait right here!” ordered Pinkie, before rushing over to a window, opening it, and diving to the outside through it. It happened to be a back window, one that Cerberus wasn't paying attention to, so she was able to make her escape to seek help for Rarity.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash was lounging around on her bed, reading some new action thriller novel Twilight had recently finished and recommended. As usual, the intelligent unicorn had been right and Rainbow found herself really liking _Razorblade Angel_. Well, most of it, anyway. The only major problem she had with the book was that it involved the presence of the most obscene monsters that had ever been conceived; giant mutant hornets who were all endowed with bull sized-

“Rainbow! RAINBOW!” cried the unmistakable voice of Pinkie…outside her cloudhouse’s door?

Normally, Rainbow would have rolled her eyes and enthusiastically gone to answer the door. However, the tone of urgency was clear in Pinkie’s tone, which meant something bad had happened. Thus, Rainbow rushed down to her front door to find Pinkie standing on the other side. On the clouds.

“Pinkie, what’s…keeping you on the clouds?” asked Rainbow, concerned about Pinkie’s defying the laws of physics and magic combined.

“No time to explain! Cerberus is back, and he’s going after Rarity for some reason! Twilight and Fluttershy are out of town, so it’s us to save her!”

Rainbow just gave a quick nod and immediately shot off into the sky, heading for Carousel Boutique. She didn't know how Pinkie had gotten up to the cloudhouse, as Twilight’s old balloon was nowhere in sight, and then how Pinkie would get down, but that wasn't important. Plus, since it was Pinkie Pie, the explanation probably would make the situation make even less sense.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Applejack surveyed the part of the farm currently known as “the nursery”. It was where apple tree sprouts were being grown into places where most of the old trees had died and stopped producing. Those expired trees were replaced with saplings, then after being cut down were processed on-site into usable lumber boards. Since the farm was quite large and there was always a steady supply of old trees to harvest, the surplus of lumber was the secret reason why the Apple Family Barn managed to keep getting destroyed almost every year without in turn bankrupting the family, as outside of paint and metal the rest of the necessary materials were already in storage.

But that wasn't really what Applejack was thinking about. Within her head, she was at war with herself on deciding a time to reveal her secret to her friends. And then her family would be an even bigger problem, because while her friends were effectively as close as blood relatives at this point, they at least didn't live in the same building as her. Plus, she suspected that Big Mac might have some suspicions about her, due to his odd reactions to her slightly unusual behaviors before the first transformation.

_Does he know somethin’ Ah don’t?_ wondered Applejack, questioning if her family had buried secrets that, for whatever reason, were being kept from her. It sort of made sense; Big Mac was the only male presence on the farm and had been in charge of running it alongside Granny ever since Appleseed and Cornflower had died of Pneumonia. Or did they?

That chilling thought caused Applejack’s eyes to widen in shock. Pieces of information that were formerly unrelated suddenly began to connect like puzzle pieces. It wasn’t much, since her parents had died so long ago and she barely even school age at the time, but now from the perspective of a grown mare the truth began to unfold.

_Mom’s cutie mark…it was fadin’ like mine right before she passed…_ pondered the pony as she absentmindedly glanced back at her own marked flank. Despite what Twilight had said, the condition seemed to have only worsened as the once bright red was now shifted to a reddish orange. Almost as if her cutie mark was a branding from a hot iron instead of being a purely natural thing. How nopony else, not even her own family, had noticed since Twilight first pointed it out was beyond her, but if it got even worse considerations would need to be made about wearing some kind of covering to hide it.

She knew there was more to the connection between what happened to her mother and the issues she herself was having, but it was interrupted by one of the apple collection buckets suddenly exploding, with apples flying everywhere.

“What in tarnation?!” exclaimed AJ.

“Sorry!” replied the head of Pinkie, which stuck out from the still-half-full bucket, “No time to explain, Rarity’s in trouble and needs our help!”

“What kinda trouble?” inquired AJ, long since used to having Pinkie appear in places and ways that shouldn't be possible. She was also well used to Rarity considering the most minor of problems, such as one of her fake eyelashes go missing, as a national emergency.

“She’s stuck in her house while it’s getting attacked by Cerberus! And no, we don’t know why, either!”

“Cerberus?! Are you sure?!”

“I had to carry Rarity on my back as we were running from him, so I’m super-dooper-upper sure!”

_Guess I’ll deal with breaking the bad news to them all later, no point when one of them is dead_ thought Applejack. “Alright, I’ll be right on my way once I get my lasso!”

“Hurry!” cried Pinkie, sinking into the bucket as if trapped in a bottomless pit of apples. Applejack paid no attention as she raced to the barn, grabbing her trusty rope. She didn't know if it was strong enough to handle a three headed mastiff, but it was the best she had. And if that failed…Applejack shook her head before rushing to Rarity’s rescue, rope in mouth. _Ah will not go that far, not unless it’s absolutely necessary!_  
__________________________________________________________________________________  
At that same moment, Celestia was holding day court, listening to the representative from some group of activist ponies go on and on about some reform that needed to be made. She was pretty sure it involved the recent hike in how much the upper class was being taxed, but she’d really just lost interest and didn’t bother. Almost everything that was being brought directly to her attention was written the exact same, to which she only needed to hear the elaborately detailed conclusion to understand what her life was being wasted on. She’d become quite adept over the years of developing a sense of when to tune back in.

But until that time was necessary, she actually liked these periods of giving ponies a warm, seemingly caring smile while simultaneously imagining weird things happening to the current speaker in her head. Right now she was imagining an entire contingent of creatures that resembled bipedal monkeys who were experts in space-set battles, aiming a gigantic railgun at the droning pony holding the floor and preparing to fire a single sand grain at sufficient velocity that would deliver the force of an orbital rainnuke into the brain of the boring stallion before her. For all that she was the epitome of a wise and kind leader; Celestia had never been above imagining how to kill her subjects in increasingly horrifying and complex ways for her own enjoyment.

Regrettably, she could sense the very-still-alive speaker reaching the apex, so now she had to reject her reality and substitute it with the one she was part of. However, right as he was about to go into his conclusion, a Royal Guardspony burst into the room.

“Your Majesty! Your presence is needed at the garrison!”

_Oh thank me_ , thought Celestia _, I seriously would prefer a short war over having to listen to rich plotholes complain about a one-percent tax exclusive to them_. But she still had some royal duties to do.

“Due to this sudden occurrence, day court has been canceled for the rest of the afternoon.” Announced Celestia, before proceeding to rise from the throne and follow the guardspony out of the room so fast that there wasn't any time for the petitioners and representatives to realize they’d have to wait another day to complain to the sun princess.

Celestia, on the other hand, was just absolutely delighted. “Thank you, Angel Starr, I don’t know how much longer I was going to last in there!”

“I can only imagine it wasn't for much longer, your highness. You may wish you were back there after you see what’s going on, however.”

That brought Celestia’s elation crashing back down to Earth. Angel Starr was one of the veterans of the Royal Guard and one of the few who preferred to remain in their natural form instead of the disguise spell which made all guard ponies look exactly the same regardless of gender. She’d been at the heart of the Changeling invasion a few months back, and many other border conflicts years before. If something was troubling her about the situation at hand, then it couldn't be good.  
Luna was already waiting in the garrison with about a half dozen other high ranking officers. It was still taking Celestia a while to get used to not having Shining Armor around, he’d been honorably discharged as Captain so he could take up the role of Prince Consort next to his wife Princess Cadence in the Crystal Empire. In his place now was Captain Stonewall, a very gruff but able soldier who had managed to get the guard back in shape after the humiliating failure to deal with Chrysalis’s forces.

“What’s going on?” asked Celestia as she entered the room, assuming the behavior of a concerned national leader. Angel Starr followed behind, locking the door so no eavesdroppers could listen in.

“It’s about that guard dog; Cerberus, your majesty” answered Stonewall, clearly concerned with this sudden added weight of responsibility, “the guard division that’s in charge of the Tartarus prison facility say he’s just up and vanished.”  
“Is the prison still secure?”

“Thankfully, it is. The division tightened security once that mutt disappeared, but it’s straining their numbers. It’s hard enough to get troops down there, pushing them past their limits will inevitably-“

“We are well aware of the consequences, captain” interrupted Luna, cutting off Stonewall before he went into detail about what would happen if there was a jailbreak at Tartarus. “However, wasn't there a similar incident not too long ago where Cerberus had only gone to a nearby town for some reason and was later returned without incident?”

“Yes, but from the reports my predecessor filed on the matter the previous incident was just Cerberus following his natural instincts. Even if he’s got three heads, you can’t keep a dog chained up without him wanting to break free and push his boundaries. He was also returned without problem by your protégé’ Princess Celestia, so no lasting damage was done.”

Celestia caught the implication in the captain’s voice that there was a clear difference between then and now. “How is this situation any different?”

The concern was clear in Stonewall’s face, “This time, your highness, some of the guards and even some of the inmates claim to have seen something vaguely resembling a pony prowling around and trying to get Cerberus's attention.”

Luna was taken aback at the idea some information had come from those imprisoned within Tartarus itself. “Why did the prisoners give such information freely? Surely there was an end of the deal that somepony agreed to that would benefit those evils.”

“You won’t believe this, princesses, but from what I was told the inmates exchanged information only on the grounds that the guards do everything in their power to keep this particular pony as far away from them as possible. They may be unwilling captives in any other situation, but the mere mention of the strangest detail about our mystery pony sent them into near hysterics and pleading to not be punished by, and I quote; ‘kicking us out there to fend off the darkest of Equestria’s shadows’. No idea what that could mean.”

Celestia, however, did. There was only one pony she knew of that could scare even the worst of the criminals within the country. But if what she suspected was true, then it could develop into a PR nightmare for the crown at best. She _really_ did not want to consider the worst case scenario.

“Tell me, captain, what was the most unusual detail given to describe this visitor?”

Stonewall reached behind to scratch his neck, “Funny you should ask that, everypony almost universally mentioned he looked far harrier than the usual pony. Almost as if he was part pony and part hairy monster, some statements claim.”  
For the briefest moment, the princess of the sun felt lightheaded. Everything had pieced together just as they all began to fall apart. There might still be time, though…

“Captain,” ordered Celestia, “word about this gets out to nopony, ESPECIALLY not anything about the ‘hairy visitor’ who is supposedly responsible for Cerberus disappearing again. All communication from Tartarus is to be funneled directly through Canterlot and not seen by anypony below sufficient rank to see top secret information. If you have guards looking for Cerberus, keep them on the trail . HOWEVER, should they come across anything resembling a hairy half-pony, they are to not engage and get the buck out of there. Am I clear?”

“Yes, your majesty!” saluted Stonewall. He then turned and barked out orders of his own. Shortly, the only two figures left in the garrison were the Princesses.

“What was that all about?” asked Luna, not quite sure what Celestia was so worried about.

“How could I have been so blind, the signs were all there…”

“Celestia!” shouted Luna in the RCV, forcing Celestia to snap back to reality, “What is going on?!”

“He’s back, Luna,” answered Celestia in a voice that rivaled Fluttershy for being the quietest audible expression of words, “that ancient devil who has long sought to overthrow us since practically the day we ascended the throne is once again at large.”

“Who, Celestia, who could possibly be almost as old as us and still think they could overthrow the twin monarchy of Equestria?”

Celestia looked into Luna’s eyes, her own pinkish-purple irises conveying a feeling of worry that she hadn't felt for a little over a decade, before uttering a name that told Luna just how bad the situation had gotten.

“Sable Loam.”  
____________________________________________________________________________________

As Applejack smashed through one of the remaining windows in Carousel Boutique, she had to admit the situation was becoming rapidly impossible.

She’d arrived on the scene last, with Rainbow trying to conjure up various weather storms that would force Cerberus to leave while not harming Rarity’s home. However, that only made him angrier. Applejack then tried her luck, employing her rodeo skills to try lassoing one of the three heads and tying the creature up. In return, she felt the business end of a swinging paw and was now resting in an Applejack-shaped indent on the wall.

As she fell out of her hole and tried to make the spinning ducks go away, she could overhear Rainbow try just ramming the creature, possibly to intimidate it.

“You like hitting ponies, do ya? Well, let’s see how much you like it!”

The sound of Rainbow accelerating was broken off immediately by the noise of three dog heads barking simultaneously, as if shouting a spell. in some obscure dragon tongue The result of that was Rainbow crashing through a wall and making a similar indent right next to the Applejack one.

Pinkie, for her part, was doing her best to try and keep Rarity calm while the fashionista was trying not to go crazy at the destruction of her house. In her opinion, there were enough Rainbow Dash-shaped holes in the roof that had been fixed to last a lifetime.

“Ungh…” groaned Rainbow, “We can’t wait for Twilight and Fluttershy to come back from wherever they are, that dog is going to kill us well before then by knocking this place down!”

“Oh, it’s no use, it’s no use!” wailed Rarity, being as unhelpful as the other three ponies expected at this point.

“Well something had to have drawn Cerberus to Rarity, what was she doing right before he jumped her?”

Pinkie spoke up then, to cut off more of Rarity’s whining. “Rarity and I had just gone shopping for more materials for the Boutique, but she got blindsided by some other pony. The other guy seemed to drop some sack, but he didn't come back to pick it up. Then one of the fabric bolts Rarity bought came loose and covered both her and the sack up. After saving her from the falling paw of Cerberus, we made up a plan that managed to get her, all of her stuff, and me safely in here.” Another small earthquake and a shower of ceiling plaster prompted her to add “although this place may not be so safe now.”

“Wait, you had Rarity pick up ALL of her things, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Did she pick up that other pony’s bag as well?”

Rarity managed to stop wailing to say “I-I guess, it might have been wrapped up in the burnt sienna bolt that fell on me. Oh, I never should have gotten it, all I wanted to do was make a nice jacket for-“

AJ was outright ignoring Rarity at that point as she walked over to the bolt of burnt sienna fabric. It clearly needed a wash due to its earlier damage, but there was an odd lump sticking out. In the rush to get to the Boutique, it would have been easy to miss.

Taking the bolt, Applejack immediately rolled it out on the ground. The moment the sack wasn't tangled in the fabric the answer to all their problems was revealed.

“Oh, man ,what is that smell?” complained Rainbow Dash, “is it some kind of dog pheromone or something?”

“It’s not, trust me on that” curtly answered Applejack, not wanting to actually explain why she knew it wasn't pheromones. What WAS in the sack, however, was a collection of bones clearly taken from the garbage bin behind The Meatery.  
“Ah know what’s goin’ on, here.” Announced Applejack to the other three ponies.

“Then what are you waiting for?! Tell us so we can save my house!” replied a distraught Rarity.

“Cerberus out there musta thought you looked like a pile of delicious meat, since being draped with this cloth you may have looked like some kind of meat dish, the fact these bones are from The Meatery imply that whoever it was that bumped into you did it intentionally, and originally had led Cerberus here in the first place with the smell of meat.”

The other ponies looked at each other, then back at Applejack. The explanation did make sense, although Applejack’s information on how Cerberus worked was a little suspect. But that would have to be asked later. Right now the problem was saving Carousel Boutique, which kept on shaking due to Cerberus simply trying to tear the place open like a can to get inside it.

“So I guess the way we get Cerberus out of here is one of us takes the sack of bones there and leads him away? I can do that, it’s pretty easy.” Suggested Rainbow.

“No, you can’t.” Applejack responded.

“Why not? We both know that I’m the fastest flyer in town, I can get him away from here in no time!”

“The trick isn't going to be speed, the bones do have to be carried away fast enough to lead him away, but not so fast that he loses the scent. That’s what he’s after here.”

“But if you don’t want Rainbow to do it, who will? I can’t outrun him, Rarity here certainly can’t, and we all know that while you’re fast, you can’t outrun a dog of that size!” reasoned Pinkie, fearing her farmer friend might be trying to run a suicide mission.

“Ah know I can keep mah pace above his, don’t worry about me. Ah should handle this, after all Ah have a pretty good feelin’ Ah know what’s goin’ through his mind.”

“No!” shouted Rarity, switching from tragic stage figure to concerned friend, “I cannot allow you to so recklessly throw your life away simply to save my shop! It can be rebuilt if this does end in it’s destruction, but the important thing is that we get rid of the bones so that…stench…won’t attract Cerberus and he’ll just go away.”

“It’s not that simple, Rarity! You wrapped the cloth around those bones, so until you wash that entire bolt it’s gonna smell like meat as well!”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes, her friend was acting really strangely all of a sudden. She wasn't lying, that was for sure, but lying wasn't the same as withholding the truth. “Applejack,” she asked, cautiously, “what’s going on? You seem to know a lot more about this situation than one would expect, but not explaining why. Care to elaborate?”

Rainbow expected Applejack’s infamous “liar face” to make an appearance. Instead, Applejack just looked at her three friends in turn with an expression that made it clear whatever was about to be said was taking a lot of effort to do so. “Fine, Ah’ll come clean. Ah’ve been meanin’ to tell all of you, includin’ Twi and Fluttershy, but there never was a good time. But ya’ll have to let me handle this the way Ah want to in return, alright?”

Rarity and Rainbow nodded, whereas Pinkie was about to nod before experiencing a violent shudder. _Uh oh_ thought Pinkie, realizing what was about to be revealed was an extreme doozy.

Applejack took one last look at her friends, hoping beyond hope she wasn’t about to make a huge mistake. Then she closed her eyes and allowed her friends to see the reason for her strange actions over the past few months. At this point the transformation was painless, but to her friends it must have looked horrific in the few seconds the process took. When emerald eyes reopened, the sight was more or less what the werewolf had expected.

Rarity had, of course, flat out fainted. Pinkie and Rainbow, on the other hand, were trembling and clutching each other as if trying to see which pony could squeeze the other harder.

“A-Applejack, is..is that…” began Rainbow, trying to comprehend what had happened. Within moments, she’d just watched one of her closest friends turn from a strong, hard working earth pony into something much more resembling the form of a wolf. Paws, longer fur and mane hair, slightly different muzzle, even a wet, black nose tip. The only details implying that this was in fact still Applejack was the splotches of what had been a red apple trio cutie mark on the creature’s flank, the orange coat, the yellow, loosely bound mane and tail, and a pair of green eyes that were unmistakably those of the farmer’s.

“Yeah, Ah guess you can’t say Ah’ve been too honest with ya’ll about this, huh?” The wolf Applejack said, in Applejack’s voice except slightly huskier. Rainbow was about to launch into a tirade of questions but was silenced by Applejack raising a hoof (or was it a paw now?), “Ah said Ah’d show ya’ll this only if you let me what Ah need to do. Ah’ll explain later, Ah promise!”

Without another word, the ponywolf picked up the bone sack and lept through one of the broken windows. Rushing to it and taking care not to hit any broken glass, Rainbow and Pinkie saw the form of their transformed friend easily lead the enraged Cerberus away from the broken Carousel and into the Everfree.

Behind them, Rarity came to. “Oh, what a strange, yet silly dream. Between Pinkie doing impossible things, being attacked by a Cerberus, and then Applejack revealing herself to be a werewolf of all things!” She then realized the state her home was now in. “Wait…that actually happened, didn't it? All of it? Even…even the last bit?”

Rainbow and Pinkie could only nod solemnly. The Pinkie Sense had been right, there had in fact been a very big doozy, something beyond expectations. If only it hadn't hit so close to their hearts.


	17. Book1 Ch.17 Honesty

Chapter 17: Honesty

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” called out Sandalwood, dressed in a bathrobe as a result of having just come out of the shower. Due to the time of day, it was probably Derpy with the day’s mail. Instead, it was a very distraught Applejack, apparently trotting in place out of nervousness.

“Applejack,” asked Sandalwood, “what are you-“ The tan pony suddenly found herself pushed into the flat as Applejack hurriedly intruded and then shut the door. Considering Sandalwood knew Applejack’s secret, it was rather obvious what had happened. “Alright, fleabag; who, what, and when?”

“About an hour ago, in front of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, while savin' Rarity’s house from bein' destroyed by Cerberus.”

“Wait, Cerberus was attacking her house? Why?” Sandalwood made a mental note to not take two-hour showers anymore, apparently all the interesting stuff in town happened when she was busy singing her favorite song by the Flying Lotus Blossoms under the showerhead.

“It’s a long story, but right now Ah need your help, yours an’ Lyra's.”

The aroma therapist narrowed her eyes, “Applejack, don’t tell me you bit somebody…”

Thankfully, Applejack immediately sprung into a defense, “What!? No no no no no! It’s just that Ah…Ah don’t know if Ah can ever face mah friends again, not after what Ah did…”

“AJ, sit down, I think you need to tell me everything that’s happened.”

And so Applejack proceeded to tell Sandalwood the events an hour earlier. After briefly letting Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash see her as a wolf, she’d taken some bones that Cerberus had been obsessing over for some reason and led the beast deep into the Everfree forest. There she ditched the bones and so had succeeded in luring the three headed beast away from Rarity’s home. However, due to extreme worries about what her friends would think about the recent development that their friend had been a closet lycanthrope for months, and the fact both Twilight and Fluttershy still didn’t know anything about this, Applejack was scared of whatever action she did next of being the wrong one. So, she’d pretty much just waited for forty five minutes in the forest before going the long way around town and seeking refuge at the flat Lyra and Sandalwood shared, they being the only ones who wouldn’t freak out at the idea of Applejack being a werewolf.

Sandalwood couldn’t help but give Applejack the most “are you serious?” look she could muster. “Applejack, I know you told me and Lyra about your, erm, ‘issues’, but you shouldn’t be running to us! We’re not talking about any group of ponies here, these are the ponies who have stood beside you against some of the greatest threats within recent history! Heck, after Twilight figured out how to restore all of you after Discord reversed your personalities, weren’t you the first one she turned back to normal?”

“Y-yeah…”

Sandalwood got out of her sitting position and walked over to Applejack, putting a hoof on the distraught apple farmer’s shoulder. “Look, you’ve proved that even when in your…’other’…form, you’re still fully the pony you are inside. Why should something as trivial as what amounts to a functional costume change alter how they see you if everything else about you stays the same?”

“Ah just told you that already happened! Right in front of Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity! Rarity, well, her reaction doesn’t count for obvious reasons, but both Rainbow and Pinkie aren’t the kind of ponies who get easily scared. With that in mind, now imagine what kind of fear they had as they grappled onto each other for dear life when Ah only took like, five seconds to simply make mah coat look unshorn and make mah hooves look funny?” To illustrate the last point, Applejack held up a hoof. Although she hadn’t intended to, her subconsciousness made just the lower part of her foreleg shift into its more vulpine form. This freaked out both Sandalwood and AJ, the former because she simply hadn’t expected it to happen, and the latter because she didn’t even know partial limb morphing was even possible for her. Quickly willing her forehoof back to normal, she apologized to Sandalwood.

Nervously waving it off, the tan pony did her best to not start going into hysterics. That was the _last_ thing this situation needed, especially since the already distraught pony was the significantly more dangerous one whether she meant harm or not.

“Well, clearly you might need some more, um, help with controlling this, help that we really can’t give you. Lyra and I can try our best, but you have to agree that now that some of your friends know about this, it’s time to come clean.”

“Ah know, it’s just that…that…Ah don’t know how to even bring up the subject! Before today, there was somethin’ in me, some kinda feelin’, that helped me keep this secret, but now that it ain’t that much of a secret to ‘em that Ah’d end up simply lyin’, and Celestia knows Ah’m not the Element of Lyin’!”

It was just then Lyra came in, bag of purchased goods in her magic grip. “Hey, I didn’t know Applejack was-“ one look at the expressions combined with the overall tone the atmosphere held told the mint unicorn all she needed to know. Setting the bag down, Lyra sighed “This better not involve the entire dog population of Ponyville again.”

“It doesn’t, but you and I need to have a talk,” said Sandalwood, before turning to Applejack. “Just stay here, alright? And, uh, don’t, er, do anything that, um…”

“You’d expect an unhousebroken dog to do?” glumly finished Applejack. “Ah know, you were tryin’ to phrase it in nicer terms, but Ah’ve never been one for constantly tryin’ to sidestep around somethin’. Don’t worry, Ah’m not gonna carve up the sofa or anythin’, as you said Ah’m still a pony regardless of what Ah look like, right?”

“Right,” replied Sandalwood, somewhat relieved that she didn’t need to be so blunt with Applejack. Motioning Lyra to follow, Sandalwood went upstairs to her still-mostly-empty bedroom. Lyra came in as well, closing the door behind her.

“Alright, Sandy, what’s going on?”

“Well, the resident werewolf has managed to botch revealing her secret to the ponies that matter in the worst way possible, although in her defense it was extremely situational.”

The earth pony then proceeded to explain the situation to the unicorn. Lyra, for her part, thought the fact Applejack had managed to avert disaster in more ways than one was enough to make the situation actually seem favorable, but the status of Twilight and Fluttershy complicated the matter.

“Yeah, the absence of Twilight and Fluttershy…had the whole contingent been there, Applejack certainly wouldn’t be as skittish about talking to her friends about the werewolf thing.” Commented Lyra, “But without the raw reactions from most of them, just having Twilight’s response is probably going to lead into a whole bunch of ‘research’ that would be extremely uncomfortable to the poor girl.”

“Uh, what about Fluttershy?” asked Sandalwood.

“What about her? We both know she’s gonna pass out the moment Applejack starts sprouting pointy bits from her hooves.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. Remember, this is the same Fluttershy that worked up the nerve to stare a grumpy, smog-breathing dragon in the eye after he knocked her friends back. And then later stared a cockatrice into submission _while it was turning her into a stone statue_ because it had done so to Twilight earlier. She may be timid, but Fluttershy may be the ticket to helping Applejack the most that can be done. After all, Fluttershy is skilled in working with animals most ponies like us would be scared to even be near.”

Lyra nodded in agreement. “I see what you mean, but that still leaves the question of how we’re going to set them all up so Applejack can make peace with her friends knowing about her ‘condition’ so to speak.”

“Her family, too. There’s no way she can keep living with Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom like this. We’ll need to get them all in the same place, probably Golden Oaks since it’s sufficiently large enough.” Suggested Sandalwood.

“I think I know how to get them all together in one place. Bon Bon still owes me a favor or two back when she was residing here. Let’s go talk to AJ so she’s on board with this, but if we’re lucky we can get this settled before the night is done.”

* * *

“Thanks for coming with me, Fluttershy,” said an exhausted Twilight Sparkle to her pegasus companion. “I’m not sure I could have handled that ursa without you.”

Indeed, the situation in Fillydelphia had been near disasterous. Twilight’s attempt to calm the angered space bear in a similar manner to how she’d done it before had failed miserably, but Fluttershy had managed to sway the young beast with her soothing “Hush Now Quiet Now” lullaby. By the time the mother bear, the even more fearsome Ursa Major, arrived, she found her child sleeping soundly in the forest a far distance away from Filly, without having done any damage. Of course, the baby space bear had been considerably much older than the one who attacked Ponyville, this one having been close to maturing into an Ursa Major, so it had taken a LOT of Twilight’s magic to move the heavier bear without reawakening it and repeating the whole process.

“Oh, it was nothing, I was just glad I was able to help,” replied Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy, you really need to put more stock in your abilities. Sure, most of the time you’re tending after your small animals, but your ability to handle the large and scary fauna of Equestria is no small thing. Heck, just take this incident in Fillydelphia, you didn’t even need The Stare to calm it down!”

“Yeah, I guess you’re-“ started Fluttershy, before the door to the train car burst open, scaring her and sending her crashing into the ceiling as her wings involuntarily launched her upwards.

“Ponyville in ten minutes!” called out the conductor, making his way through the train car to the other side. Once he’d left through the opposite door, Fluttershy fell onto the ground from her perch high above. Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle, an action that would have just humiliated Fluttershy had she not been a close friend. Instead, Fluttershy herself had to join in the laughing, knowing that it had been a rather extreme overreaction on her part.

Soon, the train hissed to a stop at Ponyville station, where Twilight and Fluttershy disembarked. Both were tired and more than a bit hungry. They were soon joined by Spike, who had elected to stay in his sleeper bunk in return for being the pack mule by carrying the bags of his pony companions. Fortunately for him, since Rarity wasn’t one of the ponies who had been on the trip, he didn’t have to move Mount Fashionista.

At that same time, the Fashionista herself along with a rainbow hued tomboy and a moving violation of physics were visible rushing towards the station.

“Oh, hey, here come the others…wait, where’s Applejack?” mentioned Twilight, surprised at the lack of the behatted pony in the welcoming committee.

“Oh, Twilight, it’s horribly, simply HORRIBLE!” lamented Rarity, skidding to a stop in front of Twilight and Fluttershy, clearly distraught over something.

“Yeah, Applejack is a-MRMMNPH!” started Pinkie as she slowed to a stop, before Rainbow Dash quickly darted in front of her and shoved a hoof into the energetic pony’s mouth.

“Wh-what about Applejack?” asked Fluttershy, nerves starting to panic again despite not even knowing what’s going on.

“Look, it’s better if we handled this, erm, _privately_ as it t’were” replied Rarity, suddenly taking on a conspiritual tone. “Trust me, it would be disaster for everypony if they learned the truth.”

“Truth about wha-AAAAH!” cried Twilight, who had no time to react before Rarity took her by the hoof and began dragging her into town. Fluttershy and Spike exchanged glances before proceeding to follow, with Rainbow and Pinkie in tow.

Twilight, for her trouble, didn’t get an answer until all of the ponies plus dragon were inside the security of Golden Oaks.  
“I’m sorry, Twilight dear, but it is imperative that you know the truth about Applejack so you don’t have to go through the same trials that Rainbow, Pinkie, and I had to earlier.”

The unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony then launched into a retelling of the day’s events since Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike had left for Filly. Or rather, it was mostly Rarity, who rambled on about how after sending her sister off to learn from the halls of knowledge, Pinkie arrived with her gifts of time and space warping such that she could get to the fabric warehouse on time. However, due to the implied actions of a most heinous and deplorable jackass, she and Pinkie ended up luring a rampaging Cerberus to Carousel Boutique by complete accident. While the monster began to destroy the poor residence, Pinkie went off to enlist the aid of Rainbow Dash and Applejack. But it was when the chips were down and the Carousel seemingly lost, did Applejack reveal her monstrous secret.

“Our dear Applejack, she…she transformed before our very eyes into…into a WEREWOLF!” cried Rarity, rearing up on her hind legs before falling backwards to add dramatic effect, something she’d made into a kind of learned performance art due to her supposed need of fainting multiple times rapidly.

“A-a werewolf?!” answered back Fluttershy, now hiding behind her massive pink mane.

Twilight opened to speak, having been skeptical of the whole thing, but Pinkie raised a hoof.

“Twilight, we were all there. I know I’m usually not the voice of reason in any situation, but I’m being dead serious in that I saw Applejack do something no pony should be able to do. I know the physical limitations of Earth ponies, especially the ones I break on a regular basis that neither you nor I can explain, but even I can’t somehow make my fur grow longer, turn my hooves into paws with sharp bits at the end, or develop a wet dog nose at the end of my muzzle at the drop of a hat, all of those which Applejack DID do!”

Twilight’s mouth remained open, although now more out of complete shock at Pinkie being gravely serious about the matter than contesting the truthfulness of Applejack being a paranormal creature of legend. Either this was Pinkie’s greatest acting job and it was all a setup for Applejack, in a costume, to scare the living daylights out of her, or Applejack actually _was_ no longer fully a pony.

“Okay, since you guys are so sure, I guess I have to believe that Applejack has been…lying…to us this whole time, but there had to have been signs that she was hiding the truth that she was a werewolf,” deduced Twilight.

Surprisingly, it was Fluttershy who pointed out the obvious which everypony had overlooked; “Uh, well, she HAS been having some strange events happen around her…”

“The Meatery!” exclaimed Rarity, finally putting two and two together. “Girls, think about it; that incident that Applejack had because she somehow was eating a burger? It’s honestly sort of bugged me as to how she rationalized it with her being under the influence of the “monthly inconvenience” but if she actually was secretly some kind of carnivorous animal…” she shuddered at the thought.

Rainbow was next to fit more of the puzzle together. “What about that whole deal with every dog chasing her through town?”

“But Sandalwood told me that was because Applejack was coated in some kind of new perfume concoction gone wrong.” Interjected Rarity.

“How do we know Sandalwood isn’t in on the secret?” answered Fluttershy. “That, um, ‘aroma bomb’ scent that Rainbow and I could detect, along with what those poor dogs told me had been the scent they’d been following, had to have been given off by a female dog in heat. Except they were chasing Applejack.”

“And the Chattelle No. 50…it was being used to cover the…you know…that Applejack was giving off, but why?” asked Rarity, still uncomfortable with saying Applejack’s body was doing inequine things.

“Because when Applejack said she was having a particularly bad ‘time of the month’ as explanation for what was going on,” realized Twilight, “she was actually lying through her teeth. The pheromones needed to attract the dogs would only be given off if the female is in heat, and the Chattelle No. 50 if applied heavily enough would drown out the smell.”

“But…but that doesn’t make any sense!” shouted Pinkie, “Applejack is our friend, not to mention the very embodiment of the Element of Honesty! Why would she lie to us about something this big, yet somepony still relatively new to town clearly knows about it? Unless…unless this is some part of a big ‘ol werewolf conspiracy?!”

Just then there was a knock at the door. Everypony inside of the library froze, save Twilight who carefully, slowly walked over to the door and opened it a crack. “Hello?” she asked the pony behind the barrier.

“Ah, good, you’re back!” replied Sandalwood, “Look, I know this might be a bad time, but I must-“

She never got the chance to finish as Pinkie dashed over to the door, yanked Sandalwood through, slammed the door, and then softly slammed the startled aroma expert on the ground.

“We’re on to you Sandalwood!” cried an irate Pinkie Pie, “We know about the conspiracy you werewolves are planning!”

“Wait, what?!” Sandalwood retorted, “Why the hell would you think I’m a werewolf?!”

“Because why else would you know about Applejack being a werewolf and we didn’t unless you yourself were one?!”  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

One by one, the Mane 6 sans Applejack confronted the still-pinned-down Sandalwood with the evidence, along with three of the five pointing out the pseudo-confession Applejack had made by transforming in front of them.

“Oh, I see. Look, if you let me up, I can explain,” answered Sandalwood, somewhat relieved that the hard part of telling the favored student of Princess Celestia that one of her best friends was a mythical monster known for violent attacks on ponies. With a nod from Twilight, Pinkie let Sandalwood get up.

Dusting herself off, Sandalwood explained her position; “Okay, I admit I’ve been helping Applejack hide her secret, but she only confided in me after that incident involving the dogs. I had no idea about the whole thing beforehand.”

“But why did she tell you, a relative newcomer to town she’d never really met before, and not any one of us?” asked Rainbow, quickly apologizing with “uh, no offense.”

“None taken. As for why she revealed her secret to me, I kind of forced her to explain since having to save her plot from a mob of dogs was only the most recent event that I figured had to be related to something wrong ever since she, well, got bitten in the forest.”

“That’s why she was so, erm, ‘physical’ with you at the spa, wasn’t it?” asked Rarity, she and everypony else starting to question how well they’d ever known Applejack. “But wait, you’re living with Lyra at the moment…she knows as well, doesn’t she?”

Sandalwood sighed. “Yeah, Applejack told, or rather showed, us both at the same time, immediately after we’d saved her from the dogs with the car we’ve been building.”

At the mention of the word “car” it was like Sandalwood had just let out a bad fart judging from the reactions of the rest of the assembled group. “You saved her with WHAT?!” shouted Twilight, “I thought that thing was both still busted and rotting away in one of the Apple Family Barns!”

“As far as I know, THAT car is. But Lyra and I aren’t three fillies who don’t really understand what we’re doing. Our car is actually operable and not just a float engine mounted on an old cart chassis. But we’re getting off topic here, especially me since as you’ve all probably figured I’m here because of the events that occurred at Carousel Boutique.

“I’ll assure your concerns right now: Applejack is okay. But she’s kind of shaken up because, well, she thinks you all will think she’s a monster and not be her friends anymore.”

“You can’t be serious!” argued Rainbow, “She can’t honestly think that just because she’s got some kind of a hairy problem going on that her closest friends would just up and leave her!”

“Deep down, I’m sure she knows that,” replied Twilight, “but considering she outright lied to not only us but also the Princesses…” the purple unicorn’s eyes went wide open as she realized that maybe that whole deal with “checking the Elements” from a few weeks back might have been a cover story for what the Princesses had really been up to.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Sandalwood. “Okay, before anything else gets said, I’m going to explain what’s going to happen. Since you all know Applejack’s secret now, and she knows that you know, she wants a chance to try and explain herself to you all. But in order for that to happen she needs all the ponies she is closest to all in one place. Since we’re already here at Golden Oaks, this is as good a place as any.”

“Who else is coming?” asked Pinkie, her mind racing to decide whether or not to quickly throw together a coming out party for Applejack.

“Well, Lyra’s going to get the rest of the Apples, then once they’re here she’ll bring over Applejack, and we can all get this matter sorted. Oh, and Twilight? She said she wanted Princess Celestia and Princess Luna here, too, as I’m sure they’ll need to know that one of the Elements of Harmony happens to also be a werewolf.”

Spike instinctively, whipped out parchment and a feather pen. Without missing a beat, Twilight immediately began dictating a letter she’d rather not have be sent to the royalty, but once Spike was done she nodded and watched as the scroll disappeared in dragon flame. Even though now everypony in Golden Oaks knew Applejack’s secret, all that had done was raise more questions than answer them, and raise the concerns of five specific ponies as to how changed Applejack would be in their eyes now that they knew the truth.

* * *

“Now what in tarnation was that?” shouted Granny Smith to Apple Bloom.

“Ah…Ah think it was somepony drivin’ a car, Granny!” the young filly called back.

A minute earlier, there had been a knock at the front door, to which Apple Bloom had gone to open. What she found was a nicely crafted sweets basket with a note addressed to “The Apple Family” on top. In the distance, the roar of an engine could be heard while a vaguely box-like shape on wheels hurried away.

“Apple Bloom, Ah hope ya didn’t mean somepony somehow fixed up that machine you and your friends crashed into the Everfree and just stole it!” called back Granny.

The bow-wearing youngster tried to respond, but as she was carrying the gift basket in her mouth it came out in a series of mumbles. She placed the basket on the table in the living room, saying “Whoever it was, they left this nice, big basket fulla sweets for the family!”

“Huh, Ah wonder who could of left such a thing for us?”

Just then Big Mac came in, already informed of the situation as he’d heard it from the other room. While Granny and Apple Bloom went into looking at all of the delicious goodies inside the basket, Big Mac figured this kind act had to be covering something. Picking up the discarded envelope, he opened it up to find a note inside;

Dear Apple Family,  
Please be at Golden Oaks Library tonight at 6:00 PM. There is a matter concerning Applejack that she really wishes to discuss only to those she knows best.

P.S. Don’t worry about Applejack’s whereabouts, she’ll be at the library by 6.

Normally, Big Mac was just quiet, but upon reading the note the blood visibly drained from his face and he stopped breathing. This was bad. All this time, his suspicions of Applejack possibly becoming a monster like their parents had been slowly slipping away, giving him more peace of mind, but this…

“Big Mac, are you okay?” asked Apple Bloom, both her and Granny now looking concerned towards the noticeably paler work stallion.

Saying nothing, he slowly handed the note over to Granny. As she read the note, Apple Bloom bouncing up and down to try and look at it, Granny’s face also lost some of its color.

“Oh, my…” muttered Granny, flashbacks of the night of Apple Bloom’s play coming to mind. Or rather, just images of Applejack’s bedroom, without a sleeping Applejack.

“What is it? What is it?” the yellow filly asked over and over, curiosity blinding her to the otherwise obvious negative impact the note was having on her family.

“Bloomie…” said Big Mac, “it’s an invitation to one of Pinkie’s Parties, probably for Sandalwood’s birthday.”

“It’s Sandalwood’s birthday?!” exclaimed Apple Bloom.

“Well, no, not today specifically, but since she’s goin’ home to celebrate it with her immediate family Pinkie has decided to throw her a Birthday party today. Why don’t you go upstairs and get ready?”

“Okay!” beamed the filly as she raced upstairs, oblivious to the lies.

Meanwhile, for the two ponies in the know about the situation, Granny gave an approving nod to Big Mac. “Ah know that had to be hard, lyin’ to the poor young’n an’ all, but if you were right and Applejack’s a…a…”

Bottled up emotions started to bubble up and tears began to well up in the old mare’s eyes. This could not be happening to her again. She’d lost two rays of light already, she wasn’t sure a third one going the same way as her parents could be survivable this time. Reacting immediately, Big Mac rushed to comfort his grandmother, being strong when nopony else could.

“Granny…Ah hope it really isn’t what we think it is. Or worse for the same reasons. All we c’n hope for is that maybe we’re still wrong and she’s really…Ah dunno, comin’ out as a mare-lover?” suggested Big Mac, assuming the biggest, most fake looking grin he could.

Granny could have slapped Big Mac right then and there, but through force of will she did not. “Do ya really think Ah’d believe that? Do _YOU_ think you could believe that?!”

Big Mac’s grin immediately faded in defeat. In all honesty he knew the suggestions was crap the second it left his mouth. But as the two waited for Apple Bloom to return so the trio could head over to Golden Oaks, only the filly would be concerned with matters other than if the middle Apple child was lost to what seemed like a family curse.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Golden Oaks, the Royal delegation had arrived. And been informed about the nature of the meeting.  
Celestia was thankful that Golden Oaks had two floors, for she currently occupied the second and was pacing the perimeter like mad. As the older Princess, she was effectively the “face” of the country of Equestria and it simply would not do for the populace to see their great demigod ruler be reduced to something barely above a nervous wreck.

“Celly, please, calm down!” pleaded Luna, the only other occupant of the room. “I’m sure the matter isn’t as bad as you would think! Applejack is still a strong willed pony, the fact she’s done her best to keep the secret by not giving into whatever is going through her head is testament to that fact alone!”

“Lu-Lu, I wish I could believe you, but this is _Sable Loam’s doing_ that we’re talking about!” retorted Celestia, certain she was about to have a nervous breakdown.

“AND” interrupted Luna, “As much as I dislike making this comparison, but you’re acting no better than a schoolfilly being horribly teased by the schoolyard bully. Think about it; if you’re having this reaction to just ONE of your subjects being turned into a werewolf, what will you do if he steps up the attacks? He’s practically won his war against you already!”

That got Celestia to calm down. “You’re right, Luna, I shouldn’t be letting this be getting to me like that. In truth, I guess it’s fortunate that if one of my loyal subjects had to be turned into a werewolf, it was one of the Elements. No doubt going through such an experience will require strong friendship to pull through, to which there is none greater than that shared by the Elements.”

A third presence cleared her throat, to which the two alicorns looked over to find Twilight Sparkle waiting to get their attention.

“Ah, Princesses? The Apples just arrived. Just so you know, I don’t think they know about Applejack’s…issue.”

A smile came to Celestia’s face. Twilight’s presence always had that kind of effect on her, maybe it had something to do with what was in store for the young mare and how innocent she still was.

“Thank you, Twilight, I will be down to see them momentarily.”

As Twilight nodded in acknowledgement and descended the stairs, Celestia walked over to a mirror to try and tidy up. Somehow, even for having a magical mane and tail that appeared more ethereal than physical, it had lost some of its enchantment and had blended back into reality. Thus, she had a very disheveled look to her mane most ponies wouldn’t believe possible. To that she let out a small laugh, it was very rare that she had the chance to even look like this. But The Apples would need the support only the royalty could give, especially since she truly was the only pony alive who had any real experience with werewolves first hand.

After doing some cleanup to look decently presentable, Celestia descended to the main library portion, Luna not far behind. As she made her way down, she could see the gathered ponies all take note of their leader. The Mane Six were all scattered about the place trying to look busy, but it was clear it was just a cover to try and not expose their concerns. The Apples, sans Applejack, were making small talk with Sandalwood simply to try and avoid discussing the reason they were all there. Apple Bloom, who had figured out it wasn’t really a party to celebrate Sandalwood’s birthday, was trying to make the best of everypony not telling her what was really going on by playing some checkers with Spike.

A quick check of the clock showed the time to be close to 6:00pm. Almost as if in reaction, the ponies began to stop whatever they were doing and looked towards either the Princesses at the foot of the stairs, or the door to the library awaiting the missing Mane 6 member.

“Well, ponies,” said Sandalwood, “she’ll be here any minute. You all ready for this?”

“Ready for what?” asked Apple Bloom, “Nopony will tell me what this is about!”

“You’ll find out soon enough, Apple Bloom,” said Celestia, turning her head to gaze down upon one of her smaller subjects.

Finally, the clock chimed to signal the change to 6:00. Sandalwood then went out the door to wait outside Golden Oaks. As was the usual procedure, there were two royal guardsponies flanking the exterior entrance, but having been instructed to let Sandalwood do as she needed to, they paid her no heed. The Princesses also went back upstairs to carry out their duties of lowering the sun and raising the moon on the library’s upper balcony, but also to watch over the arrival of the dubious guest of honor.

Soon, two figures emerged from the growing shadows. Their bright fur coats seemed to light up in catching what little of the sun’s light remained, revealing the forms of Lyra and a very nervous looking Applejack. Slowly, they made their way to Sandalwood in front of the treehouse.

“You ready for this, Applejack?” asked Lyra, concern on her face.

“Ah got a feelin’ in mah gut that the smart thing to do here is to run off an’ hide, but this has gone on long enough. Mah friends, mah family…they need to know. Ah just hope they’ll still see me the same way afterwards.”

“I’m sure they will, now come on. Let’s get it over with,” said Sandalwood, opening the door to let the unicorn and apple farmer in. Applejack’s gut feeling that this was a HUGE mistake only intensified exponentially the moment she stepped into the library, as everypony who knew her well was there and now looking right at her.

“Uh, howdy, um, everypony…” greeted Applejack half-heartedly, shrinking back and not even trying to hide her violently shaking legs. It was taking all she had not to just break the door down and run away from Ponyville out of shame. But she’d technically done that before, sans destroying Twilight Sparkle’s front door, and it hadn’t worked out. This time, instead of shame from not winning blue medals, she had a semi-controllable wild side that could land her in even bigger trouble, the kind that some ponies would never forgive.

Sandalwood then came in, locking the door behind her before nodding to Lyra. Lyra nodded back before saying, “Okay, just so we’re all clear, who here already has a pretty good idea why we’re all gathered in this place?”

Almost everypony raised a hoof up, including the Princesses who had since come back downstairs. The only hooves not raised up were those belonging to the Apple Family.

Applejack sighed. Even with the majority of the gathered ponies already knowing the truth, or at least informed of it, it was still going to be difficult to do what she had to do in front of her family.

Lyra just turned her head to look at Applejack, implying it was now or never. Applejack nodded in acknowledgement before taking some deep breaths. This was it.

“Alright, Ah’m sure that y’all have noticed some strange things goin’ on with or around me over the past few months.” Out of the corner of her sight AJ noted Rainbow rolling her eyes, but the situation had made Applejack not really care what her friends did as long as they still shared friendship with her. “And then there was that whole deal with the Elements where Ah said the reason for all of that was because of…you know.

“Well, that ain’t the truth, not all of it anyway. In reality, all of the things that have been happenin’ to me is because Ah’m-“

“You’re a mare-lover?” interrupted Apple Bloom, causing the room to go dead still as all attention went to her. “What? Ah’ve heard what these ‘comin’ out’ moments are like, an’ since nopony would tell me just what was goin’ on Ah figured as such.”

To everypony’s surprise, Applejack…chuckled. “Ah wish it were that simple, sis. But no…Ah am so sorry about havin’ y’all in the dark about this, just…just please forgive me if you can, although Ah won’t blame you if you can’t.”

And with that, she decided once again it was better to show then tell, and so right in front of everypony she risked the most important things in her life; the relationship between her, her family, and her friends, all in the name of being honest to both them and herself at last.

Once again, although the transformation took only seconds, it was like an eternity passed for those who hadn’t previously seen a werewolf go through the process. Twilight shot back like a rocket into one of the bookshelves, sending a tidal wave of books crashing on top of her. Fluttershy, oddly enough, didn’t backpedal as hard in reaction, but her wings immediately flared in shock. But it was the reaction of the Apples and the alicorns that were the most surprising. Granny, Big Mac, and Celestia initially jumped when the transformation began, but were otherwise static with nothing but sad looks on their faces. They’d been through this before, so sadness was the only real reaction they had to learning somepony close to them would suffer the fate of those before her. Luna, on the other hand, seemed legitimately curious on a Twilight Sparkle level, while Apple Bloom’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped .

Applejack, transformed, opened her eyes to find all attention directed back to her. Nopony said anything for what felt like forever. The secret was finally, truly out, having been seen with their own eyes, and it was taking them all a while to fully process it.

Yet, it was Apple Bloom, who by all right should have been running for the hills after seeing her sister willingly turn into an unnatural cross between pony and canine, that spoke first. “S-sis? Is that you?”

“Yes, Bloomie, it’s still me,” replied Applejack in her slightly huskier werewolf voice. To the shock of both her and everypony else, Apple Bloom then proceeded to walk towards her transformed sister.

“This…this is because of that creature who attacked you in the Everfree, isn’t it?” said Apple Bloom, “No…this is because of me, isn’t it? If Ah hadn’t gotten Scoots and Sweetie to help me build that stupid car only to wreck it in there, you wouldn’t have needed to go after it, and so you wouldn’t have been bitten, and then you wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble because you’re a werewolf now!”

Applejack was taken aback. Was Apple Boom blaming _herself_ for this whole mess? “Apple Bloom, that’s not-“

“IT’S ALL MAH FAULT!” cried the filly as she suddenly bolted to embrace the werewolf in a bear hug, tears beginning to stream down her face. “It’s all mah fahuhuhuhlt…”

“Now hold on just a second!” declared Applejack, pulling Apple Bloom off her to look in her face, eye-to-eye. “None of this is your fault, do you understand that? The fact Ah had gone lookin’ for that car was nothin’ more than a matter of circumstance, you cannot blame yourself for somethin’ you did not do, understand that?”

“Y-yes, but…” replied the filly, sniffling.

“Whatever it was that turned me into this, it could have attacked me at any time Ah went into the Everfree. Like goin’ to Zecora’s, or helpin’ Fluttershy find her chickens. Heck, the fact it was me who got bit was completely unpredictable, it could have been anypony else who Ah’d taken with me to find that car. But Ah don’t care about that right now, all Ah need to know is that you still love me as much as Ah love you, even now that you know my secret.”

“Heh, even when you’re more hairy than Winona, you’re still a silly pony Applejack” said Apple Bloom, the humor starting to hold back the tears.

“Ah’m a silly pony?” replied a mock-offended AJ.

“Yeah, because you think Ah’d think of you as anythin’ different than my big sis in any situation!”

And with that the sisters embraced, tears starting to well up in Applejack’s eyes. The hug soon expanded to include Granny Smith and Big Mac, who while saddened that Applejack had indeed fallen victim to lycanthropy, she was still the Applejack they knew on the inside and to that end they held on to her dearly.

Eventually, the Apple Family hug dispersed and Applejack turned to face her friends, the rest of the Mane 6 and Elements of Harmony.

“Ah’m sorry that Ah didn’t tell y’all sooner about this, but-“ started the werewolf, but she was cut off by Twilight’s raised hoof.

“Whatever your reasons, Applejack, I believe I can speak for all of us in that we trust you weren’t planning something bad.”

“Well, it’s just that Ah was worried y’all wouldn’t want to be my friends anymore, since who would want to be friends with a pony who craves eating meat?”

“Big deal!” said Rainbow. “So you’re a carnivore, it’s not like you’re planning on eating us or anypony we know, right? Besides that, the only way you’re different like this is that you’re fuzzier, kind of like the time we all got altered by Poison Joke and Rarity looked like a walking, talking mop.” The Pegasus snickered while Rarity nickered, both having very different opinions on what had happened to the fashionista’s fine fur coat during that incident. The rest of the Mane 6 made similar comments, washing away all of Applejack’s fears of losing those she was closest to because of her altered state.

But something still bothered her. Turning to face Princess Celestia, who along with Luna had just been watching the events unfold, Applejack asked “Princess, if you don’t mind me askin’, what aren’t you mentioning?”

Celestia was surprised; “Whatever do you mean, Applejack?”

“Judgin' from your reaction to me turning into a wolf-like pony, y’all have seen this before. Plus, mah cutie mark has been fadin’ much like mah parent’s cutie marks were shortly before they died, Ah’m thinkin’ nopony told me the full story behind the fate of mah parents.”

Celestia looks like she was going to try and divert the issue, but was cut off by both Granny and Big Mac. “Ah knew this day was going to come, just not in circumstances like this.” Said Granny, a forlorn look in her face. “But now that you’re a werewolf and all, and Apple Bloom knows of it, there’s not really much point in hidin’ the family secret any longer.”

“Wait, we’re ALL werewolves?!” exclaimed Apple Bloom, who proceeded to try and assume her wolf form by puffing out her cheeks and concentrating really hard. It did nothing but make her look extra cute.

“Uh, Apple Bloom? Trust me when Ah say you DON’T wanna be like me in this case.” Said Applejack, slightly amused at the innocence her sister still had about the whole matter. The first transformation that night so long ago had been the worst pain Applejack had ever felt, she wouldn’t stand for Apple Bloom to go through the same. “But Granny, as you said, it’s time to reveal the truth. If ma and pa ended up going for some reason involving werewolves, then as one myself Ah think Ah have the right to know.”

“Considerin’ how close y’all are to the family as it is, Ah guess everypony here has a right to know. However, Ah need you all to promise that what you will learn here tonight you will speak of to nopony who is not currently in this building. With a Pinkie Promise,” requested Granny, giving Pinkie Pie a sly look with the last line.

Complying with the request, everypony did the Pinkie Promise mantra, including the Princesses. Satisfied, Granny began to open up old wounds in the hope that they could finally heal now; “Alright, to fully understand, Ah’ll have to go back to when everythin’ started goin’ south for poor Appleseed and Cornflower…”

* * *

_Princess Celestia slowly walked up to the homestead on Sweet Apple Acres the night after the attack.There were several guardponies, but not of the regular variety. These ponies were encased with a special, impenetrable armor that left no part of their body exposed to attack. After what reportedly happened to a pair of ponies, Celestia had the elite guard stationed all over the farm in the event the perpetrator returned._

_Normally, a simple attack on a homestead such as this one would just be handled by the local guard garrison, but it was the nature of the perpetrator that warranted direct crown involvement. According to the one reliable witness, an elderly mare by the name of Granny Smith, her son and daughter in law had been doing some late night harvesting in order to make production quotas when out of the blue a vicious wolf had come out and horribly maimed them. By the time Granny Smith had come out, all she said was she could see a pony shaped wolf look at her through bloodshot eyes before taking off for the Everfree, leaving behind the grievously wounded couple._

_Noting their liege was wishing to enter, one of the elite guards knocked on the door, where a normal guard on the inside opened it to let Celestia in. She ascended the stairs, a tight fit due to her height being twice that of a regular earth pony’s, even greater if her horn was factored in. At the top, she entered the master bedroom._

_Inside she found an assembly of ponies. On the bed lay the victims of the attack; Appleseed and Cornflower. To look at them now would suggest nothing of how bad the wounds had been, but while the doctors said it was a medical miracle it was only more concerning for the sun princess as it continued to support her worst fears. On one side of the bed stood the chief doctor from Ponyville General Hospital; Dr. Wishbone, and his recently hired intern nurse Redheart. On the other side was Granny Smith and her grandchildren; a young colt by the name of Big Mac and an even smaller filly named Applejack. The youngest Apple; a year-old filly named Apple Bloom, currently lay asleep in the forelegs of her mother Cornflower._

_Celestia registered some surprise at Apple Bloom, she had not been told of the infant. But she did not appear to be in any serious danger. “I didn’t know you had a toddler, Cornflower. May I see her?”_

_“But of course, your majesty,” replied Cornflower, evidently still weakened from the attack but happy to still be alive to be with her family._

_Apple Bloom did not stir even though she suddenly began to glow a bright yellow and levitated over to the slightly pink alicorn. Cradled in royal magic, the baby yawned cutely before shifting her position to be more comfortable. The princess just smiled as she held a piece of Equestria’s future in her telekinesis. But, like all good things, the serene moment had to end and reality faced._

_“Now, I have some good news, and some bad news, but it is of a private matter that I wish to discuss only with Appleseed, Cornflower, and Granny Smith. I’ll have to ask the rest of you to leave for a moment.”_

_Complying with their leader’s request, the ponies both big and small filed out of the room, Dr. Wishbone taking the infant into his own magic so the Princess could fully concentrate on the matter at hand. Once the door had been shut, Granny moved to lock it._

_“Thank you, Granny Smith” said Celestia, prepping herself for what she’d have to say next. “Now, you three will be happy to know that the culprit who viciously attacked you has been identified and I personally have taken measures to see that he will no longer be a threat to you or anypony else. Permanently._

_“However, the nature of your assailant is what brings me to the bad news. You see, you two were attacked by who I believe was the last werewolf alive.”_

_“W-werewolf?” stuttered Appleseed._

_“Yes. His name was Sable Loam, who admittedly has been a thorn in my side for over a thousand years and I am glad to see him go. But I do wish it hadn’t had to be at such a high cost, especially since it will be you two paying it for the rest of your lives._

_“What do you mean, Princess?” worriedly asked Cornflower. She trusted her princess to only have the best intentions for any and all of her subjects, so if even Celestia was concerned about something, it was bad._

_“You two are the first, and I hope the last, victims of a werewolf attack in almost a millennia. The fact you survived such horrific wounds and are recovering so quickly makes me consider the worst and that both of you are going to become werewolves yourselves._

_“Y-you mean we’re going to become like that…thing…that did this to us?” murmured Cornflower, starting to shake with fear at the potential of violence she could inflict on anypony. Especially her own family and children. Without saying a word, Appleseed reached over to give a one-foreleg-embrace to his panicking wife, a silent strength that his son Big Mac would mirror years later._

_“Is…is there anythin' we can do to cure ourselves of this curse?” asked Appleseed, continuing to be strong for his beloved._

_“I’m afraid not. In a month’s time, you will probably experience your first transformation. However, from what I can remember from the original werewolves who returned to Equestria, you’ll still be in control. Many of those werewolves who eventually tried to return to normal pony life with assistance from the crown did manage to do so successfully, and even though you two may be the only werewolves left, I will not deny you the same support I gave those poor souls centuries ago. Plus, you have the advantage of family, should you choose to share it with them, something many original werewolf victims didn’t have.”_

_“So, even though you’re sayin' my son and daughter-in-law will become monsters temporarily, there’s still hope for them?” asked Granny, who was willing to do what it took to ensure her offspring and his mate would fully recover as much as possible._

_Celestia smiled, “Of course, the original werewolves eventually learned to deal with their lycanthropy as nothing more than a handicap an obstacle to overcome, and I’m sure you will be able to treat it the same way.”_

* * *

“Unfortunately” said Celestia in the present, “they would only live a few months longer before meeting their untimely end, well before I could mobilize anything to be of assistance to them.”

“So…how did they die?” asked Apple Bloom, who was the only Apple child who couldn’t remember her own parent’s faces.

“To be honest, we never did find that out.” Said Granny, sadly. “It was a few days before Hearth’s Warming when Appleseed just up and walked out of the house and into the Everfree, without even wearing any clothing, not even his special hat.”

Applejack reached up and felt her father’s hat, which for years after his death had called her own head home.

“Your mother, Cornflower, went off to try and see what was the matter.” Continued Granny, “ That’s when the blizzard hit and, as far as anypony ever knew, they got lost in the storm. A search party was organized the next mornin’ to locate them, but they didn’t need to go far. The bodies of Appleseed and Cornflower were found close to the edge of the Everfree, holdin’ onto each other but half-buried in snow and covered all over with scratch marks, like they’d been fightin’. Officially, they were said to have died from a timberwolf ambush, then in order to hide even the brutal nature of their deaths from you youngins Big Mac and Ah agreed to say they died of pneumonia. But the truth is that somethin’ in their natures was influenced by them bein’ werewolves and they possibly came to blows. Ah’ve never known two ponies to have had as much true love between them as Appleseed and Cornflower, so whatever happened to them can’t have been natural.”

The room once again went silent, Applejack’s own shocking reveal being dwarfed by the revelation of the demise of the Apple parents also having been werewolf related, even if it was just in theory.

It was Princess Luna who realized it first. “Applejack, although it is regrettable that it did not return in time to have been of any help to prevent the deaths of your parents, you may have better prospects now that the Crystal Empire had returned.”

That confused Applejack and pretty much every other pony there. “What does the Crystal Empire have to do with mah condition?”

Celestia clarified; “The werewolves were originally a traitorous royal guard unit led by a pony named Sable Loam, an able soldier who had an unfortunate obsession with wolves and hunting. They allied themselves with King Sombra in return for him making them into the first werewolves.”

Luna continued from there; “From then on until the first defeat of Sombra, the werewolves were used as a kind of gestapo who kept the enslaved crystal ponies in line. I have no doubt there are records about the werewolves due to them almost certainly biting some crystal ponies who refused to cooperate, records Sombra can’t have destroyed due to having been locked in ice for a thousand years and not even reaching the castle when he was finally destroyed not to long ago.”

Twilight lit up at the obvious implication. “So what you’re saying is that we need to go up to the Crystal Empire and do a research project on werewolves!”

Celestia frowned. “Well, yes, but I’m afraid you won’t be going, Twilight, as much as I know how you’d love to and get to see both your brother and Princess Cadence. You’ll be needed here along with the rest of the Elements to provide the support Applejack will need in her current state.

“However, the same cannot be said of you two,” continued the solar ruler as she turned to face Sandalwood and Lyra. “I cannot thank you two enough for being active in your support of Applejack, even if you did force the secret out of her. But now I must ask you to perform another task to help her.”

“Go to the Crystal Empire and do our best Twilight Sparkle-in-a-library-doing-research impressions to find info on werewolves?” replied Sandalwood, grinning as she saw Twilight’s annoyed face just off to the side.

“Well, yes. I trust you’d be willing to do it?”

“I’d need to talk to Lotus and Aloe, since I’ve got lots of ponies who booked aromatherapy sessions with me.”

“No, let me talk to them. I’ll just say I’m sending you to go give Princess Cadence some aromatherapy, she could probably use some to considering how much of a hassle it must be getting the Crystal Empire back into Equestrian jurisdiction. Of course you’ll also have to give both Luna and Myself aromatherapy sessions as well, since Rarity says they’re quite nice.”

“Wait, you want me to-to-uhhhhh…..” Sandalwood tried to comprehend the exact boost her business would get once she could say all three princesses had been customers of hers. She failed and passed out, much to the amusement of everypony else, something much needed considering the otherwise downcast mood of the gathering.

* * *

Elsewhere, in Baltimare, the bartender noted a newcomer had arrived at his counter top.

“Welcome to the Rusty Horseshoe, mate. What’s yer poison?”

“Give me the hardest thing you’ve got on tap, then make it stronger,” said the pony, much to the bartender’s surprise. However, before he could say anything, a third voice cut in.

“Tapper, don’t do it. You and I can both clearly tell this guy can’t handle that kind of liquor. Give him a sweetened milk or something like that, no way he’s a heavyweight like me.”

The stallion turned to face his opposition; “Oh, you think you can handle more liquor than me, do you? I’ll have you know that I’m the greatest heavyweight of drinking from where I come from for miles around.”

The seated mare narrowed her eyes. “Okay, how about we just cut the insults and get right to business?” She slammed 50 bits on the table, “drinking contest, anything goes. Winner take all.”

Reaching into his own satchel, the stallion plopped his own 50 bits on the table. “You’re on.”

Tapper, eager to see a good old fashioned drinking contest between the resident champion and this upstart, took both wagers and began to mix the drinks.

“Before I kick your plot and take your cash, I’d like to know your name, stranger.” Said the mare.

“Sure,” said the stallion, “the name’s Intellectual Pursuit. And yours?”

The mare smiled as Tapper put the first of what would be many, many drinks in front of the contestants.

“Lightning Dust.”


	18. Book1 Ch.18 Anger

Chapter 18: Anger

Angel Bunny had never been so scared in his life. His back to the wall, the rodent was shaking uncontrollably and frantically looking for some way to get out of this situation. But there was none.

Then again, how could he hope to get out of this new situation? Even inside the formerly safe interior of Fluttershy’s cottage, he’d failed to escape the beast who now stared at him with emerald eyes that appeared to glow. He could smell its breath, which smelled like fresh apple pie for whatever reason, but of more concern was the creature’s maw, full of sharp teeth that would tear the flesh from his bones with ease. He could hear its raspy breath, the chest moving up and down in stark contrast to its legs, which were poised to snap into action at a moment’s notice.

Worst of all, however, was the apparent truth Fluttershy, his owner, was in league with this foul offspring of unnatural origin.  
“Now, Angel, as you know I highly disapprove of you trying to go out and pretend you’re this…bloodthirsty hero…or something out in the Everfree, but you don’t seem to understand just how dangerous it is for a bunny like you as I keep catching you trying to leave in that silly costume of yours,” said Fluttershy, laying it on thick to Angel with healthy application of The Stare, “So far you’re lucky that you didn’t get killed out there, but even my patience with you is getting pushed to the breaking point.

“That’s why I have my friend Applejack here. She’s a werewolf, if that wasn’t obvious, and if you keep going into the Everfree you’re going to end up getting attacked by some creature like Applejack, only they will actually want to kill you. And, if I even catch you trying to go out into the Everfree, I will have Applejack get it into your little head to never do it again by her own methods. Are we clear?”

Angel nodded, to which Fluttershy motioned for Applejack to leave Angel alone. Grunting, the almost feral form of the orange pony skulked off to the kitchen. Now out of the firing line, Angel just fainted. Satisfied with what had been accomplished, Fluttershy turned and went into the kitchen herself.

Inside the kitchen, she found Applejack laughing hysterically at the ruse she had just pulled. “Did ya see the little guy’s face when Ah was all up in it and pretendin’ to have rabies or somethin’? Ah think he seriously thought Ah was gonna eat him on the spot!”

Fluttershy smiled, even though it had just lasted a few minutes it had concerned the pegasus that Applejack had so easily slipped into a false state of mind. It was relieving to see it really had been an act and not an implication of what AJ might still become. “Yeah, you almost had me worried I’d need to use The Stare on you! Although I am a little concerned, since you were that good about putting on a false image of yourself.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it, sugarcube” said Applejack, shifting back to her full pony form, “Ah still suck at lyin’, naturally, but actin’ is a whole different subject an’ somethin’ Ah can do as long as Ah’m not tryin’ to pass it off as honesty. Plus you were doin’ all the talkin’ so it was easier for me. Now, do you think you could help me out with mah hunger problem?”

“Of course,” said the pegasus as she moved to the fridge. After Applejack’s revelation to her family and closest friends, AJ had found their assistance very beneficial. For starters, it turned out Fluttershy imported meat in small amounts to help take care of her animal charges, as some of them were purely carnivores, to which she didn’t need to pay anything for due to being able to classify it as tax write-offs. She’d worked with Applejack to figure out a schedule on how to handle the issue of the farmer being slightly more carnivorous than her fellow ponies and just adjusted the meat order quantities to have some ready to give to the werewolf when need be.

On the menu tonight were some extra burger patties that had been left to chill out in the fridge. Normally, Fluttershy only ordered the patties so that after cooking them through she could cut them up into small chunks for her small carnivore creatures to eat easier. In Applejack’s case, Fluttershy essentially was running a small-time burger joint of her own, although the only customer was one of her best friends and she never insisted on being paid.

“Ah still can’t believe you’re okay with doin’ this for me, makin’ meaty meals an’ all,” said Applejack as she sat at a table Flutters had prepped for her while the pegasus brought over two meat burgers.

“A lot of ponies think that because of my connection to animals, my timidness makes me scared of having to deal with the remains of animals killed for food. But that’s not true, animals kill animals in the Everfree and elsewhere in places where they aren’t cared for by ponies, so while I do personally dislike the idea of killing for food I recognize it is a necessity to keep providing for these animals. And with you, I know you don’t willingly actually want to eat meat, it’s just something you have a need for due to being a werewolf and all, so don’t believe I think any less of you simply because of something you have to do against your will.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy!” Applejack chirped before she started to dig into the burgers Fluttershy had provided.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Wordlessly, Fluttershy moved to greet the unexpected visitor. On her porch she found Rainbow Dash, who had a concerned look on her face.

“Hey, Fluttershy, is um, Applejack here?”

“Oh, yes, but right now she’s, erm, ‘satisfying’ those cravings she gets due to her lycanthropy at all, and although she’d probably say otherwise-“

Applejack interrupted from her seat; “Fluttershy, for Celestia’s sake just because Ah’m eatin’ meat doesn’t mean Ah have to eat like some famished critter or anythin’, especially since the fact these have meat in ‘em is the only thing seperatin’ ‘em from say, tofu burgers, which _everypony_ eats, more or less.”

Unable to put up a defense, Fluttershy just sheepishly grinned and backed away from the door to let RD in. Rainbow did so, approaching Applejack.

“Listen, Applejack, there’s a bit of a situation in the town square that we kinda need your help with.”

Caught in the middle of a bite, Applejack waited to swallow the contents in her mouth before answering “What kinda problem?”

“Well…remember when Trixie came around looking for revenge on Twilight?” asked Rainbow, rearing slightly to allow her forehooves to tap together nervously.

“Are ya sayin’ that pony is back for more revenge? Ah thought Twilight let her off the hook pretty easily in regards to her, y’know, beggin’ for forgiveness after goin’ crazy with the amulet an’ all.”

“No, no, it’s not Trixie, it’s…” Rainbow took a deep breath, before revealing who was the ruckus rouser this time. “...it’s Lightning Dust.”

The utterance of a name Applejack thought she’d never need to hear again caused her to choke on the burger bite that, at the moment LD was mentioned, had been in her throat. She quickly reached for her jugular to try and dislodge it, but RD was faster. The Wonderbolt-hopeful had, within a second, gotten AJ out of the chair into a reared position and began performing the Haymlich Maneuver. After a few thrusts, the burger bite was ejected from AJ and flew across the room…only to hit the still-passed-out Angel in the face.

“Ah…Ah think Ah’ve had enough burger for now….” Applejack gasped, leaving Rainbow wondering why Angel was passed out and Fluttershy wondering how she was going to explain to Angel why a piece of almost-digested meat had hit him in the face.

* * *

“Is everything alright?” Lyra asked her companion.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that I never dreamed of ever having to go this far north for any reasons, since around this time last year it was literally nothing but snow and a dead-end train depot out here.”

As per the request of Princess Celestia, Sandalwood and Lyra had agreed to further help Applejack by going to the Crystal Empire in search of any information that would potentially help the poor mare be free of the curse inflicted upon her.

“I totally agree with you there, Sandy. Heck, I didn’t even know there was anything up here until the rumors after the Royal Wedding fiasco started saying they’d have to make up some kind of principality out of nowhere for Princess Cadence to rule over. The fact the Crystal Empire just “happened” to be prime real estate that showed up not too long afterwards didn’t help, but then again maybe it was all ‘destiny’ or something, I dunno.”

“Lyra, you’re just disappointed that there isn’t anything about humans in the Empire, aren’t you?”

“Well, duh, how long did it take you to figure _that_ out?”

Soon, the train pulled into the old train depot that now served to link the Crystal Empire to the rest of Equestria. However, despite being the newest structure for miles around in terms of architectural design, it was dwarfed even on its own platform by the majestic Crystal Castle in the distance.

Dwarfing even _that_ however was the royal delegation waiting on the platform. Already sticking out like a sore thumb due to the small number of Canterlot Guards (on loan from the capital until the Crystal Empire could finish training up an equivalent force to provide more jobs in the Empire), what was most noticeable was the bright pink alicorn dressed in regal regalia and a mane/tail coloration of light lavender, yellow, and more pink. Next to her was a snow white unicorn with multiple shades of blue in his mane and hair, but unlike the alicorn he lacked any royal accessories outside of a little paper sign that said “Lyra and Sandalwood”.

“Wow, a royal welcoming committee!“ chirped Lyra as both she and Sandalwood retrieved their things before heading over to the sign.

Sandalwood, however, was a little less enthusiastic about the whole deal. “Why is Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor meeting us here? I don’t remember being told about any of that when we left Ponyville, and it seems like major overkill to give us _this_ much protection when all we’re doing is going to the library.”

“What’s overkill?” asked Shining Armor, who along with his wife and the rest of the delegation came forward, two of the guards offering to take the luggage from the newcomers.

After being overheard by who was arguably the most powerful unicorn stallion alive (no surprise considering he was Twilight Sparkle’s direct brother), Sandalwood turned a deep shade of red out of embarrassment. “I, uh, m-mean no disrespect, your highness, but Lyra and I are j-just here to look at old books and things in the library. It just seems a little excessive f-for an entire armed guard and the rulers of the Empire to personally greet us.”

“The Library?” Cadence asked, “I thought you were here to look up information about…well, that thing my aunt talked about in the letter regarding Applejack that we can’t discuss in public.”

“We are,” answered Lyra, “why, is there someplace else where we could get the kind of information we’re looking for?”  
“Well, for starters you won’t find any info about what Applejack has become in the library, Sombra was smart enough to keep all that info locked away in his personal archives inside the Dark Crystal Castle. Luckily for you, and by extension Applejack, I personally went to the archives to see what was there and he’s got a _lot_ of stuff about his, erm, ‘experiments’ that you might find useful.”

That got Sandalwood to perk up. “Oh, well, that’s certainly better, since all the info is right there. Princess Celestia also said that we would be staying at the Crystal Castle itself?”

Cadence smiled widely. “Of course! Even if my aunt hadn’t asked me to have guest rooms prepped for you, Twilight sent a letter almost demanding that I do so since you’re friends with her and, if I understand it correctly, one of you is going to give both Shiny and I some aromatherapy while you’re here?”

Shining Armor was shocked at his wife’s statement. “Wait, I was told Sandalwood was only giving _you_ an aromatherapy session, Cady.”

Lyra was equally confused. “Yeah, that’s what I’d heard too….” However, one look at the devilish grin that had appeared on both Cadence and Sandalwood’s faces was enough to reveal that maybe there had been some secret communication between the aromatherapist, the ex-babysitter, and the ex-babysat to provide something extra for the son of the Sparkle family.

“Don’t worry, sugar,” said Cadence, leaning into her husband with a sultry look, “Aunt Celestia said she’d cover the bill. Besides, I think you could use a little personal R&R, don’t you?”

“Yeah…sure…” carefully agreed Shining Armor, giving his wife a grin but starting to show signs of fearing just what he was in store for. The fact Sandalwood, the pony he presumed to be the aromatherapist, was smiling just as evilly as his wife was not a comforting sight, however.

* * *

If Applejack had one thing to be relieved about when she trotted into the center of town, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flying not too high above her, was that it initially didn’t look to be as bad was when Trixie Lulamoon had come looking for a fight some months ago. Whereas the power-mad showmare had been firing magic bolts all over the place to cause magical chaos on a scale that rivaled Discord’s previous, if brief, reign of chaos, here the town seemed relatively calm.

Except for the noticeable bulge that seemed to be forming around The Bannered Mare. As if viewing a large public piece of artwork, there was a large gap between the walking traffic and the front of the restaurant, and for good reason. There, sitting at one of the tables with a glass of water and half a hayball sandwich in her hooves, was Lightning Dust. It was clear that she’d seemingly learned nothing after her dangerous actions at the Wonderbolts Academy got her kicked out by the angry body language conveyed by her having what was probably her lunch, but there was something else about her that seemed off. It took a moment to place it, but after seeing the differences between her pony and wolf forms enough, Applejack realized Lightning Dust didn’t seem to be keeping up appearances too well. Her mane and tail looked like some attempt to smooth them out had been made, although not much of an attempt, her wings were visibly in need of some heavy duty preening, her coat looked dirty in some places, and what looked like the start of rings under her eyes.

_The last time Ah saw her was when she got kicked out of the Wonderbolt trainees due to the whole tornado incident,_ thought Applejack, coming to a stop at the edge of the invisible gap _, but that was only a few months ago. She really must have fallen on hard times afterwards, but why is she here? And why am Ah needed?_

As if in answer, Dust’s head suddenly snapped to look in the direction of Applejack. “Well, whaddaya know, _just the mare_ I was looking for.” She finished the sandwich in one last bite, left the amount she owed on the table, plus tip, and then got up and exited the fenced off portion of the dining area to get close and personal with Applejack. “So, you’re the one who has been going around and saying I’m inferior to you, huh?”

Applejack had no clue what Lightning Dust was talking about. “What in the hay are you on about?”

Unphased by Applejack’s lack of a reaction, LD began to walk around Applejack, as if sizing her up. “Yeah, now I remember you…the balloon that flew into the tornado back at the Academy, you were one of the occupants weren’t you?”

“Ah still don’t understand what this has to do with anythin’,” said Applejack, raising an eyebrow.

“Stop playing stupid!” Lightning demanded, putting her face about three inches from Applejack’s. “I know the rumors you’ve been spreading about me, about how a ‘certain’ Pegasus who was up for recruitment of the wonderbolts was in fact too much of a wuss to take on even an Earth pony is a straight up race?”

“Rumors?!” retorted an offended Applejack, “Ah’d never spread rumors about nopony! Even if they were somepony like you who put mah life in danger simply to showboat how ‘great’ you were, and even _then_ Ah know you got kicked out of the Academy for that, which seems to be punishment enough to me!”

Rainbow Dash facehoofed. “Oh for Celestia’s sake, go home Lightning Dust, you’re _drunk_ \- even though it’s only one in the afternoon! I don’t know what you’ve been hearing, or if this is some massive ploy to try and indirectly hurt me through my friend, but-“

“Opinion noted and ignored,” Lightning Dust interrupted, shooting a death glare at her former compatriot, “I’ve had a hell of a time trying to ignore how somepony I thought was a close pal ended up selling me out simply to get a boost in the Academy, don’t give me a new reason to buck you in the face. The problem in front of me is substantial enough.”

Angered at Lightning Dust’s accusation of Rainbow’s resignation from the Academy having been something against her own nature, Rainbow Dash looked like she could instantly launch into a Sonic Rainboom and send the upstart LD sailing to the other side of Equestria. However, Applejack decided to put an end to the problem before either pegasus did something she would later regret.

“Alright, that’s enough out of you, Dust. Ah don’t know who your friends are, or what they’ve been telling you, but it would appear you believe them enough that nothin’ that Ah or mah friends say will change your mind even though there is no evidence to support those outlandish claims.

“So the only way Ah see settilin’ this is if we have a good ol’ fashioned race. You an’ Ah, through Whitetail Woods on the route used for the Runnin’ of the Leaves. If Ah win, you stop sayin’ Ah’m spreadin’ lies about you and whoever tells you otherwise will have evidence against ‘em. If you win, then we’ve proven that a pegasus who could’ve made the Wonderbolts can beat an earth pony and that’s that.”

“Fine,” said Lightning before spitting on her hoof and holding it out. Applejack did the same, spit-covered hoof touching spit-covered hoof. However, unlike the last time Applejack actually did this with a pegasus, it was with Rainbow Dash and there had been an initial competitive spirit. Not here, where AJ and LD just glared at each other, no friendship to be found.

* * *

The Crystal Castle, the shining beacon that spread the auras of good feelings all over Equestria, stood in all its majesty in the center of the Empire’s capital city. To the average newcomer, it was a marvelous monolith that looked far more like a starship that had arrived from some other planet instead of a product of architectural styles from a millennium ago. They would never have suspected the bastion’s true, dark origins, where it was the core of a fortress headed by the False King Sombra and it was more of a massive scar sticking out of the ground, covered in dangerously sharp looking crystal formations.

Then, even with the castle in its current, purified form, it still contained dark traces of its former master within its confines. In a room walled off to even most of the castle’s conventional janitorial staff, the personal archives of Sombra still remained. While rumors spread far and wide as to how Twilight Sparkle had needed to resort to corrupted dark magic to save the Empire, possibly damning her for the rest of time, the truth was Twilight had but used the most basic corruptive spell just two times to make her way to the top. Much more powerful and dangerous magics had been sealed in worn tomes for ages, waiting for a weak willed unicorn to come along and abuse them beyond the point of return.

Fortunately for Lyra and her companion Sandalwood, Celestia had sent some of the royal mage archivists to investigate the tomes and to remove anything even remotely dangerous on those terms. All that remained really was research notes on the more physical “experiments” Sombra had pursued in his dark reign.

“Looking at these notes, Applejack’s…issues… look downright miniscule in comparison to what these poor ponies suffered at the ‘mercy’ of Sombra,” said Lyra.

“No kidding,” replied Sandalwood, quickly tossing a tome aside after deeming it filled with nothing but rather graphic illustrations (drawn by Sombra himself) depicting the results of his attempts to make his slaves no longer need to be fed. Sandalwood was of the opinion that, after looking at just one of the images, it would have made her a strict vegetarian even if she wasn’t already.

“I think it’s safe to say that Sombra was, in fact, insane,” added the mint unicorn as she quickly paged through a book titled “War Thunder: A Beginner’s Guide to Waging Large Conflicts Between Multiple Nations At Once” which didn’t seem to really belong in a room filled with research notes.

“This secrecy thing sucks!” exclaimed Sandalwood, “we’ve been digging through this damn library of nightmares and horrors for almost several hours by this point and all we’ve found is every filly and colt’s worst fears _except_ anything involving werewolves!”

“You sure about that?” cooly replied Lyra, who held up an opened book titled _How I Did It, By King Reginald Sombra,_ “ This whole book is apparently all about his ‘greatest hits’ and stuff, and it has ‘werewolves’ listed as the second most significant thing he did.”

Sandy was stunned, “Really? He thought werewolves were the second greatest monstrosity he’d given birth to? What hellish thing did he conceive that he thought was better than that?”

“Self-generating crystal spells.”

“Of course.”

Walking over to Lyra, the unicorn and earth pony began to read into the texts that hopefully could provide the help Applejack needed to escape a curse created by a mad king.

* * *

“You could save us a lot of trouble by just admitting I’m faster than you, even on the ground, and you won’t have to tire yourself in vain” sneered Lightning Dust.

“Right, and avoid actually providin’ an answer to refute or confirm some stupid rumor you believe with all of your being,” retorted Applejack.

Together, the apple farmer and the jaded ex-Wonderbolt trainee stood at the top of the course set up in Whitetail Woods. It was almost like the Running of the Leaves all over again between Applejack and a speedy Pegasus, except this time there were no other competitors, the leaves were green, and there almost certainly would not be a happy ending to this story. In fact, the only thing similar was that the winged competitor had agreed to have her wings tied down.

Twilight, appointed timer for the race, stood facing the two ponies on the starting line. Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike stood off to the side, rooting for Applejack. Suspiciously, Rainbow Dash had actually opted not to be a spectator, citing some weather management issue she’d forgotten about. Applejack knew something was up, but at the same time didn’t want to believe her previous opponent would go so far as to rig the race to her benefit. If Rainbow was the Element of Loyalty, then she should be loyal to what Applejack wanted. In this case, AJ didn’t really care who won the race or not, it was such a minor thing that LD was so worked up over that simply running the race was worth getting LD to leave town and stop being a public nuisance.

“Are you sure this is something you really want to do?” asked Twilight, horn flaring to ready the starting shot, but her gut sensing something bad was going to happen. Considering the challenger was a mare who not only seemed partially sociopathic but clearly wasn’t in the best state of health physically or mentally, and the other was a werewolf who still didn’t seem to be in complete control over her physical form, such a feeling was reasonable.

“Yes!” both racers shouted, anxious to get the matter settled.

“Alright, then. On your marks…”

AJ and LD tensed and got low to the ground.

“…get set…”

They narrowed their eyes, Applejack unconsciously having her mental state slip slightly into her more “wild” persona and deciding that although she merely just needed to finish the race, it would be oh so sweet to actually beat this annoying haridelle simply to put her in her place.

**“GO!”** shouted Twilight, a magic flare shooting out of her horn in place of a starting pistol.

Like a pair of rockets, one orange and the other light cyan, the mares shot into Whitetail Woods, victory now being at the forefront of their minds. Meanwhile, unnoticed by all, a pony-sized cloud began to move along the race path high in the sky, tracking the contestants like a hawk.


	19. Book1 Ch.19 Psychopaths "R" Us

Chapter 19: Psychopaths “R” Us

At the Crystal Castle, inside Sombra’s hideaway of horrors, Lyra and Sandalwood just sat in shock as they just stared in the direction of the open book. It had contained everything they’d possibly ever want to know about Sombra’s werewolves and even more things they didn’t want to know. Unfortunately, even Sombra himself hadn’t recorded any kind of cure for lycanthropy, despite apparently being the one who created it. But the truly horrifying thing was a side effect of becoming a werewolf that none of the legends had ever mentioned, possibly because nopony had even conceived of such a thing.

“Hey, girls, you doing alright in here?” asked Princess Cadence, who was peeking into the ancient archive. Due to her being the Alicorn Princess of Love, she was very empathetic to the presence of emotions around her, and while over the years she’d developed strength to resist any chance emotions that would have ill effect on her, Sombra’s pure hatred for the one who would steal his throne (a.k.a. Cadence) remained very strong in the room to the point even just sticking a hoof in caused her one hell of a migraine.

“Yeah, I think we just hit the motherload of ‘why Applejack is in so much trouble’ in here.” Replied Sandalwood.  
“Well, uh, I’d love to see it, but I can’t really go into-“

Cadence had no time to finish as Sandalwood simply picked up the book in her mouth (which tasted disgusting) and had Lyra open the door. Then, as if it was the easiest thing in the world, Sandy just walked the book right out of the dark pit it had sat in for a thousand years and into the bright, shiny interior of the Castle proper.

Cadence thought it would be best not to say anything about the simple solution to her personal problem.

“Mhere Mwan Mwah Mmut mwis?” Sandalwood asked.

“Uh, over here…” gestured Cadence upon realizing just how heavy the book actually was and how easily the earth pony was handing it. She motioned towards a large anteroom, where inside was a large circular table inside as if purpose built to hold a large book and for ponies to stand around it, singing happy songs. Except in this case, no happy songs would be sung about Sombra’s own “I Love Me” book.

“Oh…my…” said Cadence, upon looking at the first image in the section depicting a pony halfway between its normal and wolf forms.

“Yeah, it gets worse,” said Lyra, slowly backing up from the book like it was some dangerous creature.

Summoning her resolve, for Applejack’s sake, Cadence read on. “’For all the things that I despise the Alicorns for, I must admit they have also given me some of the greatest gifts imaginable. For instance, some time ago an entire centurion of their guard showed up on my doorstep, fed up with their former rulers and seeking to serve under me. In return for their pledging of eternal servitude under me, they asked for something strange.

“’Their leader, some upstart named Sable Loam, said they were all hunters at heart and wished to be blessed with forms far more suited for hunting like a wolf. It was actually at heart a very simple request, simply use a transfiguration spell to change them into wolves. However, what made it so interesting was the catch that they have control over the ability to turn between pony and wolf, and that their wolf form still bear the advantages of the superior equine body. All the predatory instincts and ferocity of a wolf, but with the nobility and strength of a pony. The prospect of having an entire force of such wolf ponies at my command excited me, and so I agreed.

“’It took a while, and my experiments on the Crystal Slaves tended to be rather gruesome, but eventually I figured out how to grant the gift of what I have referred to as ‘lycanthropy’. It’s actually a nonsense word that sounds vaguely like ancient myths, but the Crystal Slaves won’t know the truth and by the time those morons in Equestria proper know of them, they will be tied with the very feeling of fear.

“’But even better is the name that I came up with that even their young can pronounce properly. I was originally going to call my new troops ‘war wolves’, then I got the idea to call them ‘wary wolves’ as creatures everypony should be wary of. Then, in a stroke of genius, I combined it all into one word: ‘warewolf’. Changing out the _a_ for the _e_ makes it not look stupid and illustrates the simple, yet fearful, art that is the term ‘werewolf’.”

“That Sombra sure had one hell of an ego, didn’t he?” commented Sandalwood, dryly, “but keep reading; the really terrifying part is later on.”

Although Cadence really wasn’t that eager to delve deeper into the mind of a mad king, she did so anyway. “’Continued studies of my new werewolves have been very interesting. As I prepare to launch the first assault from the Crystal Empire against the alicorns, I have found use for my vulpine warriors as a kind of elite enforcement squad. It would appear that due to the corruptive nature of my dark magic, woven into these great beast ponies, it is in fact capable of spreading to other ponies simply by exposing their blood to physical contact with the fluids of a werewolf. Usually this is best achieved by a deep bite to the neck area. The time it takes for the afflicted, if they survive the inoculation wound, varied between almost being able to transform immediately and up to a month for the first side effects to even show up. Psychological effects were to be expected; the test subject slaves showed more signs of being vicious and pack-like, tending to stay in familiar groups than socialize as they normally try to do.’”

“However, over the course of several months, the idea of converting all the slaves into werewolves must be rejected on grounds involving the very aspect of dark magic that allows lycanthropy to be contracted. Unless the victim happens to be of a certain bloodline, the lycanthropy will eventually corrupt their entire body and fully turn them into a wolf. The test subjects who suffered this are irreversibly converted into natural wolves; they show no sign of remembering who they were or any memories they might have had, and attacks from these wolves will not spread the magic. Only when they die does the magic leave their bodies and their normal form restored, although at that point it’s of no use to them or me.”

Cadence had to backpedal hard upon reading the last bit. “Wh-what?! I knew Sombra was a monster, but this… _this_ cannot be condoned by any being that has any respect for their own species! And poor Applejack, is this the fate she’s doomed to incur? Becoming nothing more than a simple beast?”

“Well, no, there is a _slight_ hope for her,” said Lyra, her expression not matching her hopeful words. “just keep reading.”

Now outright scared of what else she might find, Cadence wished she could tightly hug her husband to the point of breaking his ribs as she ventured once more into the dark codex: “For the rare outlier slave who managed to not succumb to the magic due to their bloodline, I decided to play nice in one of my rare benevolent moments and let them become part of my werewolf brigades. Sable Loam, possibly my greatest of the werewolves, protested my ‘interference’ with his own troop organization, but he continuously buys into my bluff that I can easily take away what I have granted him. In reality I have no such power; for I fear I would face a great challenge against him should we ever battle. He has grown almost immune to any dark magic attacks I can throw at him, and his natural skill set only boosts those granted by his lupine enhancements. It may even be possible his sheer force of will can allow him to live forever. Amusingly, he and he alone only has the possibility of immortality, none of his followers nor any of the lucky few slaves who have become werewolves appear to have their lifespans lengthened. The reason for this is a completely natural mutation in the blood of an earth pony, certainly not exclusive to whatever line Sable comes from but only theory propagates other ponies might have it. But as a result, unless he bites a pony with a similar blood mutagen, the victim will eventually become a simple wolf as if bitten by any other werewolf over a course of a few months.”

Cadence stopped there, partly out of simply being overwhelmed by the information, and partly because the rest of the transcript had faded to the point of being illegible.

“W-what happens if the victim does have this, erm, ‘blood mutagen’ Sombra wrote about?” asked the Princess of Love.

“Dunno, we couldn’t find anything else about it, just stuff on how he conducted his tests, which were FAR from proper reading material!” said Sandalwood.

“However,” began Lyra, “I’d have to hypothesize that Sombra’s specification of that genetic mutation allowing Sable’s lycanthropy to keep him alive is rather important. He said it was impossibly rare, but not unique to Sable himself. Which would meant the implication is there in the faded text that should Sable transfer lycanthropy to a pony via a bite, if the victim has the same genetic mutation as he does, then he makes his prey both a werewolf AND immortal, without the whole ‘eventually turning into a wolf in both mind and soul’ bit.”

“So what you’re saying is that while hoping-beyond-hope that Applejack is lucky enough to fall into whatever percent of the population has this genetic mutation in her blood is ill-placed faith, it is still possible by the smallest margin she will avoid a cruel fate of losing herself to be a mangy mutt to instead just be an immortal werewolf?” asked Cadence with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s better than zero, your highness,” simply replied Lyra.

Cadence just shook her head before glancing back at the dark tome on the juxtaposed bright table. “We need to get this information to Twilight. If there is anypony who will know how to use what little of it we have to save your friend, it’s her. In the meantime, you two might want to go back to see if there is anything else of worth to us in that dark study, I’ll send in some trustworthy mages to help you out. They won’t be told about Applejack’s condition, but because this is a matter considered top secret to the crown, they won’t ask questions.”

Sandalwood and Lyra merely nodded and bowed before the alicorn before heading back to their research. If even the smallest thing could be found that would save Applejack, it would be in that room.

* * *

The race, in Lightning Dust’s opinion, had started out fairly well. Even without her wings, she was able to keep pace with the grounded earth pony up to the halfway point. By then, both mares were visibly starting to work up a sweat and their endurance beginning to drain, but it was not a question that finishing was possible with either pony a victor.

Or at least it had been until Lightning began to gradually fall behind Applejack. Shocked, she began to try running harder to make up the gap, but that quickly fell through as the miniscule gain she got was far outweighed by the increase in exertion it took.

_How is this possible?!_ Thought Lightning Dust. _I trained with the Wonderbolts, I was far more fit than anypony else in the squad including that damn slacker Rainbow Dash, I set academy records! How am I being beaten by a country bumpkin who makes a living by kicking trees all day?!_

The truth was that, while much of the training LD had gone through both before and after acceptance into the academy was fresh in her mind, she was forgetting that she really hadn’t done much to keep up her physique upon being kicked out. In the time between having her dreams crushed and now, she’d managed to land a weather support job in Baltimare that paid okay but wasn’t nearly as desirable as simply being paid to have fun flying, and the budget she’d formerly had for buying wonderbolts merchandise had gone straight into paying off the beer tab at the Rusty Horseshoe. She had completely ignored her failing personal health, and the belief Rainbow Dash, possibly the only pony outside of her family she’d considered something close to an ally, had sold her out for a rank promotion, had worsened her sociopathic issues to new levels. Initially, she’d just wanted to win the race to prove the rumors her new bar friend had mentioned to her were wrong, but when faced with the possibility of losing and proving the rumors right, she just snapped. She was going to win this race no matter how low she had to get, but not for bragging rights, simply out of a desperate need to prove to herself that she still had some self-worth left.

Applejack, for her part, had known she was going to win the moment the race had started. Taking to heart Twilight’s advice from the first year the unicorn had participated in the Running and won fifth place, she planned to pace herself. She wasn’t too happy in how it was still stacked in her favor because of her lycanthropy-boosted physical prowess, but she couldn’t really do anything about it. Not like it mattered, the pacing was easy compared to the exertion she normally tended to use on this course, she could have gone at that pace for hours and not stopped. Glancing back at LD, however, she secretly gaped at how bad the pegasus looked. She’d already started falling back despite her best efforts to regain her position, but between the gasps for air and the weird look in her eyes, she wasn’t going to make it 3/4ths of the course before running out of steam. AJ turned back to the course, wondering what on earth made Dust even think she was in competitive condition.

Suddenly, Lighting slammed into Applejack’s side, sending both off the side of the path and into the woods. Applejack had no time to react before the first punches started to collide with her.

“What in- _ow!_ -the hay- **OW!** -are you doin?!”

Then Applejack caught another glimpse at LD’s face, and she understood the look. It was the look of a mare who stood on the brink of insanity and was doing everything she could to avoid it. AJ figured that once Dust had reasoned she couldn’t straight-up win the race, she’d attack AJ and knock her cold so the shameless pegasus would win by default.

Unfortunately for Dust, Applejack wasn’t about to let that happen. Rolling out of the way of the other mare’s punch, the still-hatted pony was up on her feet in a split second and poised for a fight. “Don’t do this, Lighting Dust, don’t make me have to hurt you!”

Sadly, the words failed to reach their mark as Lightning Dust just charged Applejack once again, **“THEN JUST LET-“**

A right hook was dodged easily.

**“-ME-“**

A haymaker nearly missed its mark.

**“-WIN!”**

With a sudden burst of agility, brought on by desperation and psychotic anger, Lightning Dust wheeled around on her front hooves and bucked Applejack straight in the face. Crashing into a nearby tree, it took a moment for the orange mare to recover. However, the moment she did so, something about her demeanor changed. Her eyes had turned from Emerald Green to a noticeably different golden-green and were practically glowing, her posture had shifted from a typical strength-increasing stance of a fighting earth pony to that of a predatory animal which emphasize speed, and she was…growling?

With horror, Lighting Dust realized just _what_ she was facing, and that even the greatest Wonderbolt couldn’t take on the monster before her. And that she’d just pissed it off.

* * *

From her clever cloud disguise, Rainbow watched the race from above. She knew Applejack hadn’t wanted anything less than a fair competition, and although Rainbow’s little lie about not spectating due to work probably left the apple farmer more than a little suspicious, Dash had no intentions of tipping the scales in her friend’s favor. Having raced her multiple times, RD knew Applejack would easily win against the shockingly deteriorating condition Lightning Dust had been in.

Between body language suggesting she was now perpetually drunk, the amount of wind resistance her unpreened wings would create, and Dust’s personal mission to outdo the competition by a wide margin by going beyond her limits, Dash knew the race was over before it even began.

_What happened to you, Dusty?_ Wondered Rainbow as she tracked the runners. _You were a great flyer, maybe even better than me, but has your selfishness been the reason you’ve fallen so far down in the world?_ Even though ties between her and Dust had long since been cut, Rainbow still found it sad the once-hopeful candidate for Equestria’s greatest flying team, somepony she had once been loyal to as a friend, had been reduced to an angry shadow of herself who lived in a drained beer bottle, not having learned anything from her expulsion and seemingly alone in the world.

This was of course demonstrated in real life by the tailing Dust suddenly slamming into Applejack’s back. Horrified, Rainbow broke cover and shot down to help AJ, now being pummeled by Lightning Dust who appeared to have lost all grip on reality. Rainbow’s speed was also not enough to prevent AJ getting bucked into a tree rather hard. Or to intervene in time to stop the very thing Applejack feared about herself.

As much as Rainbow wanted to keep flying in and stop the wolfed-out version of her friend from killing Lighting Dust, she knew there was no way to stop an angry werewolf with just speed and two hooves. So, leaving Lightning Dust to almost certain serious harm, RD shot off to get Twilight before an out of control Applejack really did commit an unforgivable sin.

* * *

Applejack, while her temper was sometimes quick to rise when dealing with some ponies, was not the kind whose anger would boil over to the point of wishing or committing harm to other ponies. At least, that’s what Applejack usually was like.

However, due to her lycanthropy and relative inability to control her more primal urges, Lightning Dust found herself facing off against anything but normal Applejack. Her fight-or-flight responses having caused a mental shift into that of a predator, all Applejack could keep clear in her head was that, for some reason, this Pegasus was attacking her with possible intent to kill having already landed a powerful blow to AJ’s face, and that she needed to go down.

Lightning Dust, on the other hand, was of the opinion that getting out of there was the best option. She couldn’t help but feel smug as she quickly opened her wings, the binding ropes having long since been cut by the crazed creature before her, and launched vertically off the ground and out of the reach of Applejack’s hooves-turned-claws.

_“Nah nah nah nah nah nahhhh!”_ mocked Lightning, her boastful nature getting in the way of common sense, a lesson she learned when she turned to fly away and warn the town about the wolf in pony’s clothing. She did not see Applejack rear up and leap high enough to tackle the low flying Pegasus from behind, sending them both crashing to the ground and into a thorny bush.

Applejack, still set in primal predator mode, quickly made her way out of the thorns, ignoring the small pricks of pain.

Lightning Dust, on the other hand, was not so lucky. She slowly dragged herself out from the bush, the thorns going deep enough into her fur to cause multiple small cuts. Those, combined with what felt like a sprained wing from an improper crash position, and sheer exhaustion from both the race and her attempts to take out Applejack, made Lightning Dust feel like absolute crap. But when she noticed the shadow standing before her and its somewhat raspy breathing, her head involuntarily looked up at the werewolf standing right in front of her, and it was still pretty mad. It backed up, as if going to strike hard for the final blow, and Lightning Dust tensed up for the end, tears coming to her eyes as Applejack leapt at her.

Except the end didn’t come. Opening her eyes, tears falling like rain, LD looked up to see a very confused werewolf lit up in a purple magic aura. Suddenly, Applejack was thrown against a tree and a blue aura joined the purple one in what looked like a joint effort between unicorns to keep the transformed pony down. She struggled, but seemed to react upon hearing a demand from a most unlikely voice;

**“Applejack, STOP!”**

Fluttershy touched down in front of Applejack, apparently trying to calm her. However, this time Applejack had really lost control and barked furiously at Fluttershy, lost in a blind rage and trying to attack anything that would set her free. The yellow pegasus, both shocked and saddened at what the simple apple farmer had been twisted into by fate, shank back with her eyes clenched shut, before stepping forward with eyes wide open.

For all that Sombra had designed his werewolves to be immune to simple behavioral control magic, never in a thousand years could he have predicted a pegasus who had severe vertigo problems would wield something as powerful as The Stare. Caught in Fluttershy’s steely gaze, poor Applejack froze as her motor control over her limbs failed.

“Applejack…” said the animal specialist, trying to do her job while treating Applejack as the pony she still was inside, “stop this. This isn’t what you wanted. This isn’t what _any_ of us wanted. But this isn’t the Applejack we know, this is the Applejack you said you couldn’t let happen. Come back, Applejack, please…”

As the mixture of Stare and soothing yet pleading words began to register in Applejack’s ears, a visible change passed over her even though she remained in wolf form. Her eyes lost their glow, returning to their familiar green shade, and her breathing began to slow down as well.

Finally, Twilight and Rarity ended their magic, letting Applejack fall softly to the ground. It took her a few seconds to realize she was back in control, the memories of what she’d done and almost did still fresh in her mind.

“Oh…oh mah Celestia…” whispered AJ.

“It’s alright, Applejack, you’re back, and we’re here for you.” Soothed Fluttershy, having since ended The Stare and was now walking up to her friend. Upon reaching the werewolf, Fluttershy merely looked at Applejack with her sea-green eyes that just radiated compassion and kindness and all the things Applejack really needed. She then embraced her cursed friend, allowing Applejack to start sniffling and then just open the floodgates in a return hug.

Lightning Dust, both too shocked and too tired to move, just looked on with the horrifying revelation that all of Applejack’s friends had already known about this condition of hers, and had allowed the race to happen anyway. But…did that mean _he_ had known about this as well, and had knowingly suggested something that he wanted Dust to do? Now facing the reality of having somehow been used much in the same way she used to use other ponies, and the fact her latest drinking buddy was not in fact somepony she could call anything close to a friend, she felt nothing but jealousy towards the werewolf that had nearly killed her. She was a monster, a freak, made from the shell of some backwoods hick, yet even after an outburst like that she still had friends who stood by her. But not Lighting Dust, who for all of her previous skill and ability, had anypony to rely upon or even really just talk too freely.

All she had was Rainbow Dash, who walked up from the right side of her vision.

“My, that’s a pretty bad timberwolf attack you had there, Dusty.”

Lightning snorted in annoyance, “Are you crazy? Your ‘friend’ over there nearly just murderized me and if you think for a second that I’m going to-“

_“Timber. Wolf. Attack,”_ enunciated Rainbow, making it very clear to the vulnerable Lightning Dust that not sticking to this cover story was going to end very poorly for her. “Now, I really shouldn’t be nice to you, because the position you’re in was your fault when you attacked Applejack. Oh yes, I was watching. Didn’t I tell you I was Ponyville’s weather manager? Regardless, by all rights we should leave you here to suffer, but against my better judgment Twilight thinks you know something and so it’s off to Ponyville General for you.

**“BUT…”** uttered Rainbow, sticking her angry face into the now-scared Dust’s face, “before we do that, you’re going to tell me who told you about those rumors, which we both now know were completely falsified. Now.”

Desperately in need of medical attention, Lightning had no choice but to “sell out” her informant.

“I-Intellectual Pursuit!”

Twilight, who hadn’t really been listening until that point, noticeably stiffened upon the mention of the Crystal Pony scholar’s name. It was Pinkie, however, who spoke next.

“Who is Intellectual Pursuit?”

“Supposedly, he was a scholar from the Crystal Empire who came down to Ponyville to do some research on…something, I don’t remember what.”

Pinkie was alarmed, “You mean to tell me there was a new pony in town and **I DIDN'T THROW HIM A WELCOME PARTY?!** How did I not know of his presence!?”

“Because he didn’t want to be detected by ponies who would make his presence well-known in ways such as throwing him a big welcome party with everybody in town attending. Because he _wasn’t_ a Crystal Empire scholar.”

“Then…then who, or what, is he, Twilight?” asked Rarity, dreading the answer.

While she couldn’t bring herself to say it above a frightened whisper, it was enough for all present (even Lightning Dust, who could tell if something scared the Elements of Harmony, then it was bad) to understand just how blind they’d been to the truth.

_“Sable Loam.”_

The truth now stated the ponyville residents realized with terror that the werewolf who had converted Applejack into a lycanthrope had in fact been hiding in the town for months in a disguise, and could have easily taken them all out. It was the fact he hadn’t, rather appearing to wait for something that they dreaded because none of them knew what he could possibly have been waiting for.

Meanwhile, not too far from the clearing where the commotion was going on, Sable Loam spied upon the ponies. He’d just lost the disguise of Intellectual Pursuit, but that was okay since he’d checked out of the hotel soon after his Cerberus plan had started to backfire and headed straight for Baltimare. Even though it was of the modernized lifestyle he hated so much, it was the only city of the present day he could even feel remotely safe in. Namely because his beloved had lived here the day they had met. The fact he’d run into a pegasus mare who happened to hold a grudge against a certain other pegasus who was friends with his quarry in the first bar he entered had been pure, simple luck. It had taken a week or two to “buddy up” with the mare, but he eventually fooled her into going to confront Applejack as if defending her honor.

The fact the plan had actually worked this time was even luckier, to which Sable couldn’t have cracked a wider, nastier grin. Watching the enraged Applejack just tear into that idiot wannabe-Wonderbolt had been a fun thing to watch. Sexy, even, if the pressure between his legs said anything. But the bottom line was all his hard work and patience was about to pay off. Applejack would soon be forced to embrace her new destiny…and would belong to him and him alone.


	20. Book1 Ch.20 Operation APPLESTALKER

Chapter 20: Operation APPLESTALKER

Lightning Dust was not happy with how things had turned out. First off, the one pony she thought of as an actual friend, or at least her equal at bar drinking, seemed to have set her up to challenge Applejack simply to fail. Second, Applejack had ended up being some kind of bipolar werewolf who had torn her a new one after she’d tried assaulting the farm pony. Third, all of Applejack’s friends not only apparently knew about the orange mare’s lycanthropy but were going so far as to indirectly threaten Lightning Dust to cover the incident up as a freak timberwolf attack. Fourth, and finally, Ponyville General Hospital was extremely uncomfortable for a Pegasus like her who had spent most of her life in the cloud cities of the pegasi and so was more accustomed to the comforts of cloud-based construction. However, with a badly sprained wing and a multitude of physical injuries she wasn’t going to be airborne anytime soon.

But she had to be true to herself: nobody truly would worry about her. Having grown up in an orphanage without parents or even stable relationships to other ponies, LD had always had to fight for herself and burn bridges when necessary. But then again she’d never had the chance to feel how truly alone her path in life had made her ever since the day she had to leave the orphanage. No family, no friends, no nopony.

Well, there _was_ Rainbow Dash, who had come in to check up on her. But it was impossible to know if the cyan Pegasus was there out of pure concern for her fellow wingpony or making sure Lightning Dust kept mum. Because of the latter, Dust couldn’t count on Rainbow’s actions to mean anything, although it warmed her heart a little to know that after everything she’d done to Rainbow and friends, Dash kept a loyalty she shouldn’t even need to keep for any given reason.

But she was surprised when another pony came in bearing a get well gift. Derpy Hooves, the crazy-eyed mailmare of Ponyville, walked through the door with a bag of something in her mouth.

“Wh-wha?” stammered a confused Lightning Dust, unsure of what to make of a complete stranger paying her a visit.

“I heard that you got attacked by some timberwolves and don’t really know anypony from around here, so I brought you some muffins to cheer you up!” chirped Derpy, having placed the bag on the counter.

“Muffins?”

“Yeah! My favorite; chocolate chip!” Derpy’s smile then dropped to a frown, “Oh, let me guess; you don’t like chocolate chip, do you?”

“What? Oh, nonononono! I like chocolate chip!” Dust quickly sputtered. Truth be told, she’d never had muffins of any kind, but here it wasn’t so much her lack of knowledge about muffins then it was about keeping Derpy not feeling bad about what was a purely charitable action. “It’s just that…that nopony’s ever done something as simple as bringing muffins to me, somepony who probably doesn’t deserve any form of kindness.”

“Nonsense! I don’t know who you are, but you’re clearly a pony who has had it rough lately, and sometimes all we need for things to improve is to be shown some kindness!”

That was food for thought, considered Lightning. Here was this pony, somepony who in another situation Dust would have shamelessly made fun of for her weird eyes, but even though this mare had to have known about what Dust had done at the Wonderbolts Academy (it had been a wildly popular story which had spread all over Equestria), where by all rights Dust should have been mocked by this mare, instead she’d brought muffins and was being encouraging to Dust that she could still turn her life around.

But then there was the problem Lightning Dust had encountered: Applejack was a violent werewolf. While granted, Dust had pushed Applejack to the limit and effectively forced her own ass-kicking, the fact the normally mild mannered mare even had such a violent streak hidden inside that was so uncontrollable once unleashed was something that put the whole town in danger. Lightning reasoned that, despite recognizing she was pretty much a bitch through and through, she wasn’t so far gone that she’d leave a danger like Applejack to threaten innocent ponies simply because she didn’t give a damn.

Fortunately for her, Derpy chose to change subjects. “At least, more kindness than those timberwolves showed you. It’s been sort of scary lately, there’s been an increase with timberwolf attacks over the past few months, starting with the grievous injury Applejack got when one of them nearly crushed her throat in its jaws.”

“You sure it was a timberwolf?” asked Dust, secretly skeptical about how Applejack was being played up as an innocent.

“Yeah, there was a lot of blood and everything, from what I heard. Completely random, too, some monster sized timberwolf allegedly just shot out of the woods and attacked her without any provocation. Come to think of it, a lot of the problems with the timberwolves lately seem to involve the Apples in some way."

_Gee, I wonder why,_ thought Dust, although she kept quiet as Derpy continued.

“It’s gotten to the point that Iron Will, some motivational self-help teacher who was in town a long while back, has come to go hunt werewolves or something, because he thinks that’s the problem. Or at least I think that’s what Golden Harvest told me.”

“Wait, you’re saying there’s a werewolf hunter in town?” inquired Lightning Dust, interest peaking. She may have been stuck in the hospital, but if she could talk to this Iron Will guy then she may not be completely helpless to save the town.

“Yeah, although if I remember correctly I overheard a rumor he’s leaving town to go hunt for werewolves elsewhere.”

“What?!” exclaimed Dust, dismayed at her improving prospects almost getting dashed, “Look, um…sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“My name? Oh, I’m Derpy! Derpy Hooves!”

_Then what does your eye condition have to do with your bubbles cutie mark?_ wondered Dust before clearing the thought out of her head. This wasn’t the time to go back into bitch mode. So, LD continued on as if nothing had happened; “Ah, okay Derpy, listen. I need you to go find this Iron Will guy and tell him that before he leaves town, I need to talk to him.”

“Why?”

“Because I have vital information about something he’s interested in. Now, hurry, please!”

“I’ll find him right away!” said Derpy, before turning around and promptly faceplanting due to tripping over her own hooves. Yet, with no dignity lost, she simply stood up, said ‘My Bad!” and continued on her way. Needless to say, Lightning Dust was impressed.

* * *

Iron Will put the last of his personal items into his bags, letting out a sigh of disappointment. Ponyville had been a bust for werewolf hunting, as all he’d managed to even catch in his traps and attempts were a few unlucky timberwolves and that one orange pony that’d happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Still, it hadn’t been a total loss. His time in Ponyville had at least set him on the right track about trying to catch his target prey. The lavender unicorn who worked at the library, Twilight Sparkle, had certainly been the most helpful in his endeavors, and his tactics had improved beyond just charging into wooded areas and trying to provoke timberwolves as practice.

However, it was time to move on. He’d originally started in Ponyville because of the rumors about increased wolf attacks, but historically werewolves were told to have been more active in other cities like Baltimare and Vanhoover. Slinging his one bag over his shoulder, Iron Will exited his hotel room and went to the main foyer.

There waiting for him was Willy and Nilly. The looks on their faces were enough to tell they were only too eager to move on from the town after all the failures, but were still willing to help their boss out in his marriage quest. Iron Will had to smile at that; if there was one thing he could rely on it was the loyalty of his two assistants. He’d even have thought of them as friends had he not still been paying them for what he knew was truly a fool’s errand.

Also waiting for him, though, was a wall-eyed gray Pegasus. “Mr. Will, I have a message for you!” she announced.

The minotaur raised an eyebrow at that, for he wasn’t expecting anything. He just hoped beyond hope it wasn’t from his parents, asking him if he’d caught a werewolf yet. “A message for Iron Will?”

“Yeah, there’s a Pegasus named Lightning Dust over at the hospital who wants to talk to you. She wouldn’t say what about, but that it was urgent she pass the info on to you before you left town.”

That was intriguing. Everypony in town had heard about what happened to the rambunctious Pegasus during the race with Applejack, the entire settlement growing ever more concerned about the threat timberwolves were now posing to everypony. However, it was also well known Iron Will was specifically hunting werewolves, so if there was any kind of lead that could yield even proof a werewolf still existed for him to catch, Iron Will couldn’t risk passing it up.

“Alright, Iron Will shall go see this pony. Willy, Nilly, I trust you can handle checking us out from here?” asked the minotaur, receiving twin salutes of acknowledgement from the two goats. Nodding in approval, Iron Will took his bag with him as Derpy lead him off to the hospital. Along the way, he purchased some flowers once Derpy mentioned Lightning Dust didn’t have anypony wishing her for a quick recovery.

Upon arriving at the hospital, a pony by the name of Nurse Redheart informed Iron Will that Lightning Dust’s wing injury had not been a sprain as was commonly rumored, but a serious enough bone fracture that she’d needed a minor operation to set the bones. While she was back in her room, she was still hopped up on anesthesia and wouldn’t be able to talk much. That made Iron Will’s heart sink about getting the lead he’d hoped for, but he told Redheart he would at least deliver the flowers in person. He’d already bought them, so might was well carry out the kind gesture they were meant for.  
Indeed, upon arrival, Iron Will found the crippled Pegasus asleep in her bed, heart monitor beeping and an IV pouch hooked up. He wouldn’t be getting any information out of her until possibly a few hours later, but without anything to go on Iron Will couldn’t stay that long.

_Well, guess it’s to Baltimare, then_ , thought Iron Will as he placed the flowers in a waiting vase, already filled with water. Before leaving, he wished to at least express some well-wishing.

“Iron Will doesn’t know who you are, but he hopes that you make a swift recovery so that you can go back to enjoying life in the skies, as your kind was born to do.”

He then turned and made for the door.

“W-wait…” a sleepy voice suddenly asked from behind him.

Turning back, Iron Will found Dust had now woken up to the point of being aware of her surroundings.

“So…you’re the famous Iron Will, motivational speaker, and…and werewolf hunter?”

“Of course Iron Will is,” replied Iron Will. He wisely decided now was not the time for his lengthy slogan promotionals, there was no knowing how long Lightning would be awake.

“Listen, whatever you do…don’t leave town. Not yet.”

“Why should Iron Will not leave town? There are no werewolves here and Iron Will would cover more ground faster by visiting different cities.”

“That’s where you…are wrong. What do you think put me in here?”

“A freak timberwolf attack? That’s what the town is saying happened.”

“That’s what they want you to think, to cover…the truth. All the timberwolf attacks…haven’t you noticed the connection?”

“What connection?” inquired Iron Will. He certainly hadn’t noticed any connections between the attacks. Between the initial one involving the orange apple farmer, the believed raiding parties of timberwolves on the apple farm, and then this attack that happened when Lightning Dust was racing that same orange-

Wait.

“Iron Will thinks he understands now. The orange pony…she is the connection, but how?”

“Isn’t it obvious, peabrain? She’s the werewolf you’re looking for.”

Iron Will was stunned. Looking back at the events surrounding the orange pony, and some of the stories he’d happened to overhear about her, assuming she was a werewolf made it all make more sense.

“But how? And why?” was all Iron Will could ask.

“I don’t know either, all I know is that she’s…the one who put me in here. Admittedly, I got physically aggressive with her and probably was asking…for it, but her friends know. I think they’ve known all along and have been helping her hide it.”

“I don’t believe it!” said Iron Will, more to himself as evidenced by the dropping of the third person narration, “she’s been under my nose the whole time, hell, I even _had_ caught her, but I’d let her go because I didn’t suspect…well, Willy and Nilly aren’t going to like it, but we’re gonna be staying here.”

Lightning Dust, who looked like she was about to pass out, suddenly started looking like she was doing her hardest to not drift to sleep again. “Iron Will, listen; what…whatever you do, promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t…don’t kill her. I wasn’t supposed to tell anypony, but Applejack doesn’t seem…to be in control over that part of herself. She’s a danger to everypony around, so you’re the best…one to deal with her. However, for as much as I still despise Rainbow Dash, I owe her bigtime for trying to get me back on my hooves even after all I’ve done, the least I can do is make you promise not to seriously hurt one of her closest friends.”

“Iron Will shall do his best.”

“Thank…you…” mumbled Lightning Dust before sleep claimed her. Thus, Iron Will was left in one heck of a doozy situation. On the one hand, he at least had the lead he wanted to bagging a werewolf, and it was one of the local ponies no less which should have made it easier. However, in return for the info, he couldn’t actually kill the werewolf due to the promise he just made. And as a businessman, he always honored his promises.

However, even before considering going after the werewolf, he had to make sure this “Applejack” was one to begin with, and that her friends would know about it as well if they weren’t werewolves themselves.

_What have I gotten myself into?_ he thought.

* * *

“Here ya go, Pinkie; this week’s shipment of apples to Sugarcube Corner.”

“Thanks a bunch, AJ!”

Applejack unhitched herself from the apple cart as Pinkie brought out the empty barrels. As Sugarcube Corner did a lot of apple buying from Sweet Apple Acres, an agreement had been made that the apples would be brought pre-stored in barrels, and once they were empty the barrels would be given to whichever Apple was bringing the next week’s shipment.

“So, AJ” started Pinkie, two empty barrels in tow, “aside from you wanting more you-know-what because of your ‘condition’ do you find you don’t like other foods as much?”

“What are ya talkin’ about, sugarcube?” replied Applejack.

“I mean, do you enjoy eating the regular stuff you always ate before…you know. Like pastries, cakes, stuff like that?”

“Of course Ah do, Pinkie, frankly me just bein’…you know, all that’s done is add some more things to mah ‘cuisine pallette’ or whatever it is Rarity called it.”

“Oh, that’s a relief!” sighed Pinkie, relieved.

“Ah don’t think Ah understand, Pinkie.”

“Well, I figured it would be really bad if you didn’t like sugary things anymore since everypony likes sugary things especially me and I just can’t imagine how horrible it would be if I didn’t like sugary things anymore and **MRRMPH**!” rambled Pinkie, stopped mid-sentence by Applejack’s hoof having found its way to Pinkie’s mouth.

“Pinkie! Don’t worry, Ah’m still me!” laughed Applejack. “Ah know y’all have been worried ever since Ah ‘lost mah cool’ with the whole Lightning Dust race, but please, don’t fret. What Ah do want you to do, however, is to get the last two apple barrels sittin’ empty in the kitchen.”

Blushing, Pinkie just turned and retrieved the barrels. With her four empty barrels tied down, Applejack departed Sugar Cube corner and headed home. Unbeknownst to her, a large, shadowy shape began to follow her, concealed by the rooftops that somehow didn’t buckle under its weight. Unbeknownst to the shadowy shape, it too was being followed by a self-propelled bale of hay with a baby crocodile periscope sticking out of the top.

* * *

“Thanks for coming, Applejack. I know this is kind of awkward, but since we haven’t heard back from Lyra and Sandalwood yet, we need to know more about your condition, and since you’re the only werewolf we have access too…”

“Why haven’t we heard back from those two? Ah thought Spike could get letters from the Crystal Empire via Princess Cadence?”

* * *

At the same time…

“C’mon, you can do it!” cheered Lyra.

At the Crystal Castle, Princess Cadence concentrated hard on the scroll in front of her. The idea was to send this letter via dragonfire magic so Spike could receive it. Contained within the letter was the warning about how Applejack’s sense of self both physically and mentally was potentially in jeopardy.

“Hon,” started Shining Armor, “why do you have to do this yourself? Don’t we have mages who can send mail by dragonfire?”

“We do, Shiny, but the trick with dragonfire when being cast by horned ponies is that they need to know the contents of the letter completely. However, since some of our mages are from the time when Sombra still ruled with his werewolf legions. If they knew there was potentially only one werewolf left, they’d go on some crusade to exterminate it, and we don’t want that happening to Applejack. Besides, I’m an alicorn, one of the three most powerful ponies on the planet, I should be able to get this spell right the third time.” The first two tries had ended up with first just a fried pile of parchment scraps, then the second time the scroll just got teleported five feet in the air, also burned to a crisp.

“Princess,” asked Sandalwood, “have you ever tried sending mail by dragonfire before today?”

“No, but it shouldn’t take more than one more try.”

Her horn glowing a bright blue, Cadence lifted the scroll with her telekinesis. Then, with pure force of will she reduced the letter into burned embers which drifted in the air before heading out an open window.

“There, see? Told you I could do it!” beamed Cadence.

The flame embers then rushed back into the castle and seemed to go straight into Shining Armor’s horn. His pupils shrunk for a second before he felt the need to empty his bowels. Instead of food, however, he threw up blue magic fire and the torn remnants of the letter.

“Erm…maybe it’s harder than I thought…” cringed the princess of love.

* * *

“Well, I’m sure we’ll hear from them soon enough,” Twilight assured the apple farmer, her horn glowing and all the window covers, rendering the only light source from the interior lights. “Okay, we’re closed up, go ahead at your convenience.”

“Alrighty, pardner,” replied Applejack, before shifting into her wolf form. Twilight winced, not as strong a reaction as she first had upon witnessing the transformation a few weeks ago.

Spike, on the other hand, finally put two and two together. “Uh, AJ? Remember back some time ago when you said you’d kill me if I ever tried helping you like I did again?”

“Yeah?” replied the werewolf.

“You were serious, weren’t you?”

“Ah’ll be honest, Spike. Ah’d been tryin’ not to hurt you for most of that day. Ah never would want to hurt you at all normally, but between your refusal to leave me alone and…whatever this condition of mine has done to me, Ah, was at the end of mah rope.”

“Noted,” said Spike, somewhat embarrassed.

Twilight, sensing the moment, jumped in with the first of her research questions; “Applejack, I have to ask: does it hurt when you do…that?”

“You mean when ah turn into this version of mahself? It used to, especially the first time. The first time was just horrible.”  
“Would…would you be okay with describing what it was like?”

“Ah’ll do it, Twi, but just so you know; it was the worst feelin’ anypony could ever have to endure. Ah’m only lettin’ you know this simply because Ah hope you and nopony we hold dear ever has to go through what Ah have.”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________

The minotaur had to admit there might really be some credence to what Lightning Dust had said. The exchange at Sugarcube Corner between Applejack and Pink…something, he couldn’t remember the full name. Something to do with baked goods. Pink Cake? Pink Sugar?. It wasn’t important at the moment anyway. What was important was he’d been watching the place for about two hours, and he needed to grab some lunch badly. Willy and Nilly would have probably died from hunger at this point had they been with him, but he’d given them the day off. After what he’d put them through in his various attempts to hunt timberwolves they deserved at least that.

Then, the door to the library opened up, and Applejack looked to her left and right before saying goodbye to the ponies remaining in the building and heading off on her way.

Having grabbed a hayball sandwich from a street cart vendor, Iron Will followed Applejack over to Fluttershy’s cottage. Not an easy task since there were very few trees wide enough to hide IW’s girth behind, but he managed to do it without alerting Applejack. The fact she kept on acting as if she was constantly on edge about being followed also pointed towards her being a werewolf, as a pony wouldn’t have that kind of sensory range to detect him from almost 50 meters away.  
Eventually, once he figured Applejack felt safe enough inside Fluttershy’s cozy little cottage, he snuck up and peered inside. To his horror, it looked like Applejack was eating hamburgers, which Fluttershy was cooking up.

Normally, Iron Will usually lived up to his secondary nickname, “Iron Stomach”, as one of his lesser known talents was the ability to eat just about anything. But being a close relative species-wise to normal cattle, he couldn’t go anywhere near meat products involving beef. Just the sight of it would make him hurl, which he had to rush off to quickly do. He knew that there were some ponies that ate meat, hell, the mere fact The Meatery existed in Ponyville more as a tourist spot than actual local cuisine was evidence enough, but the fact somepony who raised cattle also ate them…he felt the need to oblige a second gut purge.

It also just strengthened the case of making Applejack out to be a werewolf. The fact she was somepony who normally live harmoniously with cattle on the same farm pointed to her being the kind of pony who would staunchly be anti-meat, and yet there she was having one of her friends secretly prepare burger patties for her. As if she was ashamed of having a need to eat meat. Iron Will was seriously wondering if trying to hunt a werewolf was an even dumber proposition now that he was pretty sure that one did exist on the other side of that window.

Then his watch buzzed. Alarmed, he shot off away from the cottage before either pony, or any of Fluttershy’s animal friends, could realize he was there. On the other hand, it was the alarm reminding him he needed to take his blood pressure meds. He couldn’t help but smirk at the perfect timing, as his blood pressure had to be dangerously high after seeing a pony eating beef and enjoying it.

* * *

Later, Applejack was all alone by herself behind the Apple Family barn. Ever since exposing her secret to friends and family, she found these moments of self-reflection helped her truly appreciate how blessed she was to have such understanding circle of relationships.

“Ah just don’t know what Ah’d do without them. Even Twilight’s cut back on her prodding, even though Ah can tell she wants to go as deep as possible, because she knows how personal this is gettin’ for me. Heh…and to think Ah had to put on mah best face when Ah first met her, ah coulda sworn she reeked of ‘Canterlot Snob’ stronger than a rotten apple reeks of bad odor.”

She continued to review the offerings and sacrifices her friends were making to accommodate her, but as the list grew longer and longer, she grew more somber.

“But is it all worth it, Ah mean…”

Almost involuntarily, she shifted into her wolf form and looked down at her now-uncomfortably-familiar hoof-paws.

“Will Ah be stuck like this forever? Some kinda half-monster pony who can’t even take a few hits without loosin’ mah mind and nearly killin’ somepony else? And to think Ah once thought this coulda been a good thing for me, but now Ah understand. This is nothin’ more than a curse. A damn, dirty curse! Sometimes Ah don’t even know who Ah am anymore when Ah change an’ look in the mirror at this other body I inhabit. And why did it have to be me? Ah couldn’t wish this affliction on anypony, but after learnin’ ma and pa had gone this way before they died, is it some kinda family curse? Ah don’t wanna end up as some kinda mindless monster, that’s not who Ah am! But without some kinda cure, maybe that’s who Ah’m doomed to become…”

Due to having gone on her self-inflicted rant, Applejack’s heightened wolf senses failed to notice the minotaur who had been spying on her from the roof of the barn. The one with the gaping jaw as its brain tried to comprehend what it had just seen.

But there was no denying it. Applejack had changed before his eyes, of her own volition, into some kind of wolf-pony hybrid. A werewolf if there ever was one. Lightning Dust had been right, Applejack now presented a real threat to all of Ponyville, if not Equestria itself.

At the same time, Iron Will was conflicted with what to do. His initial mission was to bag a werewolf to please his parents and marry the Minotaur princess, now with the added duty of helping protect Equestria by removing this threat to its safety.

However, Applejack had just admitted she really didn’t want to be a monster, this werewolf she’d become and burdened all those who knew her best with its secrecy, and Lightning Dust had made him promise not to severely harm her. Not to mention the fact Applejack had close ties with the princesses, who also probably knew she’d been a werewolf too, and so capturing her for his own personal glory and advancement would not only kill his motivational speaking career in the land of ponies, but almost certainly send Equestria and the Minotaur Kingdom into war all over a dispute about capturing a werewolf.

What am I gonna do? Helplessly thought Iron Will. Deciding Applejack was at least not going to leave the town anytime soon, he decided to just head back to the hotel. He could think about his choice overnight, but he knew it would not be an easy one no matter which way he went.

* * *

The train hadn’t even come to a full stop when Lyra and Sandalwood lept from the coach and raced down the streets to Golden Oaks. They had left their things at the Crystal Empire to be sent by Royal Chariots later, but now time was of the essence.

Spike barely had any time to open the door before Sandalwood nearly headbutted it open, Lyra in tow.

“Twilight! Where are the others?!” gasped Lyra, skidding to a halt and trying to fill her depleted lungs with air.

The lavender unicorn was still recovering from having two ponies burst their way into her domain. “Uh, they’re probably still at their homes, why?”

“Because…” started Sandalwood, “...because Applejack may be in great danger!”

“From what?” replied Twilight, now concerned about the news these two hadn’t sent by dragonfire mail, “or whom? Sable Loam?”

If Lyra and Sandalwood’s faces hadn’t been horrified before, now they were. “Sable Loam is alive?!”

“Yeah, don’t you…oh, right, you weren’t here. Well, while you two were gone-“

**“NO TIME!”** screamed Sandalwood, having rushed over and grabbed Twilight by the shoulders, “If Sable Loam is still alive, then Applejack is in even _more_ danger than we thought five seconds ago!”

“But how?”

“Remember how in that story about AJ’s parents that they went into the forest for some reason before they died, and that reason was never found? Well, Lyra and I think we found it, and if that menace is still kicking ,then Applejack may fall victim to the same fate, if not worse!”


	21. Book1 Ch.21 Dark Purpose

Chapter 21: “Dark Purpose”

It was pretty late at night when the Mane Six, Lyra, Sandalwood, and the rest of the Apples had found themselves once again inside Golden Oaks Library to discuss Applejack’s lycanthropy. Except this time it was Lyra and Sandalwood who had to do some explaining after Twilight retold the story of how Cadence kept failing to send letters via dragon magic.

“So, let’s just start this off by saying that Sombra was a completely twisted and sick individual” cried Sandalwood, “and that he really didn’t know what the hell he was doing when he created werewolves.”

“Well, don’t that bode well for me,” sarcastically commented Applejack, resident werewolf representative.

“It gets worse, sugarcube,” replied Lyra, unwittingly using Applejack’s own endearing term to refer to the farm pony, “from what we could learn up at the Crystal Empire, all ponies who contracted lycanthropy from the first generation of werewolves, the ones actually turned into the monsters by Sombra himself, would eventually degrade both physically and mentally until they incurred a one-way transformation to become full wolves, having no memory or giving off any signs they had been ponies before up until their deaths, in which case they reverted to their original forms.”

Rainbow Dash, already having squicky reactions to that fact, noted Applejack’s legs were beginning to jitter. She was scared, and Rainbow couldn’t blame her. To comfort AJ, Dash unfurled one of her wings to wrap it around the poor werewolf, an action AJ appreciated with a glance and a small smile before both earth and pegasus ponies focused on the speaking mares.

“We did find there to be one exception to this rule, however” Sandalwood noted, slightly perking up Applejack, “in extremely rare cases, a specific blood mutation on the pony-“

“You mean a blood quantum?” corrected Twilight.

Sandalwood just gave Twilight a look before continuing; “Er, yes, a ‘blood quantum’ as Twilight so helpfully points out. Anyway, in the event the victim pony has the trait in question, they will not eventually turn into a full wolf, but will instead remain as a werewolf who also has immortality.”

“Wait” interjected Applejack, “so what yer sayin’ is that Ah’m either gonna end up becomin’ somethin’ no better than a timberwolf with flesh, or ah’m gonna effectively be a dog version of an alicorn? As much as ah want to remain as mahself, who wants to live forever?”

“I’m afraid that’s what it is, Applejack,” Lyra stated. “Sombra never seemed to bother finding a way to revert the curse he created, so unless there’s some kind of catch-all cure that can cure any kind of long-lasting spell, I’m afraid you’re out of luck.”

“What about Zecora?” piped up Apple Bloom. “She knows all kinds of potions and cures for just about anythin’. It would be worth a shot askin’ her tomorrow, wouldn’t it?”

“I guess we don’t have much of a choice, do we?” said Rarity.

“Well, there is one _other_ thing that may or may not be in play” added Sandalwood, “if this Sable Loam is still around, then he may already have some kind of control over you.”

“Control over me?! Like what?” exclaimed Applejack.

“Well, also in Sombra’s notes, he gave Sable a special power no other werewolf had due to his insistence on being the leader of the werewolf soldiers at Sombra’s employ. It was sort of vague, but from what I could make out it’s that Sable can magically amplify a howl such that it calls all werewolves he’s turned into followers to rally at his side, regardless of where he is. Since we have to believe he’s the same werewolf that turned you Applejack, you may not be able to resist such a howl.”

“Yeah, right! Like Ah’m gonna unwillingly-“

As if timed perfectly for some cosmic punchline, a vicious howl could be heard echoing across miles of the land, especially Ponyville. It shook all ponies down to their cores, as some immensely evil creature wished for its presence to be known. For Applejack, she’d reared up and clutched her ears, inadvertently knocking off her hat in trying to not hear the sound. But to her, it was like a siren’s song, and as her eyes glazed over she almost mechanically turned and headed for the door.  
With surprising speed, Big Mac moved to intercept and block her way. However, he couldn’t keep up with his sister’s werewolf agility and she deftly leaped over him and out the door before he could compensate.

* * *

Resting inside the cave, just a short distance away from Winsome Falls, Sable smiled. He knew Applejack had heard her master’s call and was on her way. Maybe later he could convert the rest of her friends, having the whole set of elements to turn against the princesses was oh so tempting. But he had to secure the original one first.

As it was, it would still take her a while to get to his location, safely away from the rest of Ponyville. With his plans so close to fruition and no possible way they could backfire, he allowed himself the rare luxury of drifting thoughts. Those thoughts ended up becoming memories, the ones of when he had met the mare he’d loved for so long, and who had set him down this path.

_Baltimare, 250 years ago_

_It disgusted Sable Loam that he should have to burglarize other ponies homes just to survive. The actual stealing part he didn’t have a problem with, he being of the opinion that those who have the strength should take what they please, regardless of true ownership. No, the problem was that he had to stoop as low as a petty thief simply to survive. A werewolf such as he should not need to resort to that kind of action to feed himself. Yet, he’d been having extreme trouble finding enough game in the wild to keep him fed, so here he was in some pony family’s cottage, ruffling through the kitchen and trying to figure out what was edible. He’d been rather sloppy, as he’d bypassed breaking the front door window to disengage the lock in favor of just leaping through said window. It would take more than just a few glass cuts to harm him._

_He suddenly detected the presence of another and snapped his head around, a carrot stuck in his mouth between being removed from the fridge and placed into a pillowcase he’d stolen to be used as a bag._

_Staring at him was an earth pony mare. Grass green coat, soft yellow and sky blue mane and tail, and pink eyes, all encapsulated in the creature who stood before the monster. Sable theorized she was a resident of this house, but her actions weren’t adding up. This was the first time he’d been caught in years when he had to forage civilization for food, but in previous raids his discovery was met with screams and cries for the Royal Guards who were stationed in whatever backwater village Sable was in at the time. Here, this pony just…stood there, taking in breaths at a controlled pace. There was fear in her eyes, to be sure, but he could tell there was more than the natural gut reaction of an evolved prey animal. There was wonder…curiosity even?_

_“W-who…are you?” cautiously asked the mare._

_Sable was in shock, then in shock at the fact he was in shock. Here was this mare, looking right at what most ponies couldn’t bear to see, much less try to communicate with, and yet the moment she said those words she relaxed a little. Had he desired to, Sable could have killed her easily at that moment, but this unusual pony interested him, and so he decided to entertain the question._

_“I…I am Sable Loam, last of the werewolves. You are the first pony in a long, long time to approach me as a fellow intelligent being, the rest simply scream and scatter. Tell me; are you not scared of my form, not bothered by the fact I am stealing your food right in front of you?”_

_“Not really” replied the mare, coolly, “you’re clearly also a pony of some kind, so you have to be able to talk, and there’s nothing I can do to stop you from raiding the food stores so why should I care?”_

_“But you did not answer my first question,” intoned Sable, dropping the carrot and rushing up to the mare, holding up one of his claws to her throat. “I could kill you in an instant, not even giving you time to scream. Why does that not bother you? Why are you not scared of me?”_

_Her eyes hadn’t changed beyond refocusing on him as she said, “If you must know, I find you interesting. I mean, you’re a living legend. It must be exciting to live like you; not tied down to any social norms, the ability to go and do as you please whenever you want to…it sure sounds better than the boring life of a housewife that I am stuck with.”_

_“Then if it does not scare you that I could be the bringer of death, then how about I make you my personal slave? Every night filled with your screams as I_ _ravish_ _you over and over until I am satisfied, with no hope of ever returning to this safe haven or anypony that you know, forced into serving me for the rest of your life?”_

_“You think I care about living with ‘safe’ being important?” retorted the mare, letting out a haughty laugh. “Oh, please, how can one enjoy life if all they do is avoid risk and danger? To be stuck in the same place, seeing the same things, doing the same tasks over and over…”_

_At that, Sable backed off while raising an eyebrow. He’d already planned on letting this pony go after he managed to get her to admit how scared she was, but much to his surprise she hadn’t faltered, going so far as to imply she was jealous of his life. She was of a strong, independent character who seemed to embody everything he’d possibly have wanted in a companion. A mate._

_Then he decided to change his own way of life. For almost 800 years he’d been a lone wolf, only relying on himself and nopony else. But this…this hidden treasure of a mare, he felt something towards. Maybe it was that ‘love’ all those hopeless romantics had gone on about since the beginning of time, but whatever it was he was not going to let this mare go._

_“What is your name?” asked Sable._

_She answered without hesitation: “Fair Vista.” As she said it, she turned slightly, giving him a glimpse at her cutie mark. It was of a sun peeking over a horizon._

_“Alright, Fair Vista, what if I was to tell you I could offer you a new life?” She did not verbally reply, but her eyes widening at the mere suggestion confirmed what he’d suspected, prompting him to continue. “As you seem so…uncaring about this life you currently lead,” he continued, “and hold mine in such high regard, what would you say to throwing it all away and becoming my companion…my mate?”_

_“It sounds dangerous and not in the least bit safe…what’s the catch?” She was probably going to agree to this no matter what the conditions were, which Sable liked._

_“As I told you, I am a werewolf, so if you are to have any hope of keeping up with me in any capacity, and I_ mean _any, I will have to turn you into a-“_

_He didn’t even get the chance to finish before she somehow tried to position her neck right in front of his mouth._

_“The stories about you werewolves say you can transform ponies into your own kind with bites to the neck, right? Then go ahead and do it! I want to go with you, to actually live life and not be stuck in this stupid town. Hell, even the prospect of not being fully pony anymore sounds good to me, anything to start over!”_

_Grinning, Sable obliged Vista. As his fangs were driven into her throat, she of course screamed from the pain, blood cascading from the punctures down into Sable’s mouth and then the floor. He let go after a few minutes, a sizable pool of blood having formed on the ground, next to it now laying the twitching form of Fair Vista._

_Then, to both his and her surprise, the twitching quickly turned into thrashing and convulsions as Vista started to change. The bite wounds on her neck instantly vanished as she bit down on her lip to resist the screams. Her entire body felt like it was stuck in a raging fire, but after a few minutes, the new werewolf stood up on shaky legs. She surveyed herself, seemingly pleased with the results, then dashing over to Sable and planting her lips on his, surprising him once again._

_When Fair Vista’s husband and daughter returned home that night after a day selling at the market, they found a broken home. The front door was shattered, the front window having been smashed and then the whole thing broken off its hinges. The interior was an even bigger disaster. The kitchen was a complete loss, with all the food having been stolen, but the heart-shattering detail being the large pool of blood on the floor. More of the blood could be seen smeared all over the rest of the house, over furniture and the expensive pictures of the family. The inquiry by the investigating Royal Guard determined something from the neighboring Everfree Forest had broken into the house in search of food, and then after being seen by Fair Vista had viciously attacked her, destroying the interior of the house and letting her bleed to death, before finally taking her corpse as even more food back into the forest._

_In reality, Fair Vista had assisted Sable Loam in destroying her former house, taking pleasure in casting away the chains of her former, ordered life. They busted the door together, bag of stolen food in tow, as they raced off into the Everfree. She may have belonged to Sable Loam now, both in mind and soul, but now as a werewolf herself she could always live life as she desired, always seeking something new and exciting without the constraints of society or morality. She would be Sable’s faithful companion for over 200 years following, without having ever left a clue to her grieving family as to her chosen fate._

Sable smiled as he recollected possibly the best decades of his eternal life. True, they had been ended relatively recently in comparison, but that was all about to change. The glory days were going to be here again.

* * *

“Oh, this is bad, so very, very bad!” wailed Fluttershy.

While Fluttershy was the speaker, she voiced the concerns of everypony in Golden Oaks.

Big Mac was especially disturbed. Repressed memories flooded back of his father having the same glazed look in his eyes that the red stallion had seen in his sister’s eyes just a moment ago. He also vaguely remembered hearing that same howl the night everything had changed for the Apple Family.

“What happened to her?” asked Apple Bloom. “She’s not herself…Ah mean, she forgot her hat!” The youngest Apple gestured towards the abandoned Stetson, which nopony had noticed after it had been dislodged in Applejack’s flight. “She always wears that hat, since for as long as Ah can remember!”

“Where did she get that hat, anyway?” inquired Rarity. “I’ve always admired the craftsmanship and durability it’s demonstrated and not once during my visit to the finest hat shops in Canterlot have I ever seen a headpiece quite like it.”

“It was Appleseed’s hat,” said Granny, “Ah got it for him when he was just about Applebloom’s age.” She sighed, memories of a happier time coming back to her. “It’s been so long Ah can’t remember where Ah got it from, but he never asked for that info. He loved that hat, it was like a faithful companion comparable to a dog. We’d thought it was lost in the great blizzard ten years ago, the one he and Cornflower went into, but it must have chosen Applejack as she gave me quite the heart attack when she suddenly started wearing it. She said she’d found it resting on its usual peg on the headrest. But now that she’s forgotten it due to werewolf business, the same reason Appleseed left it behind, Ah fear we may lose mah granddaughter to that monster out there just as Ah lost mah son and daughter-in-law.”

“Hold on!” exclaimed Twilight, “are you saying she’s worn that hat every day for almost a decade straight?”

“Yeah, she loves that old thing, it’s the only connection to her father she really has.”

“Then we still have a chance to save her!” declared the unicorn, grasping the heirloom in her telekinesis. “I know a spell that can track down anypony regardless of location, but it requires something belonging to the pony in question that bears their essence in a sufficient strength to be useable. If Applejack has has worn this hat for a full decade, then it should be filled with her essence!”

Her horn flared with magic energy, before lashing out at the hat. The magic seemed to be absorbed by the inanimate object, before being blasted out of it and towards the maps section of the library. From there, a single rolled up map of the immediate area around Ponyville emerged, moving in front of Twilight before unfurling. On the map were two blinking magic dots; one purple and one orange. The purple one sat in the middle of Ponyville, while the orange dot was moving slowly across the map away from Ponyville.

Rainbow quickly realized where AJ was going. “Uh-oh, she’s going straight for-“

She was interrupted by Pinkie suddenly launching from a standstill towards a bookshelf like a missile. Since the start of the meeting, she’d more or less looked like she suspected somepony was listening in to the conversation. Everypony figured it was Pinkie just being Pinkie, a reasoning that everypony dropped when Pinkie opened up a secret compartment concealed behind some old encyclopedias and from a space no larger than a small cupboard she pulled out Iron Will in his entirety.

“How…what…who…” sputtered the stunned Minotaur, unable to figure out how he’d gone from stalking the exterior of the tree library to being pulled from a space smaller than the total surface area of his rock-hard abs.

**“WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!”** Pinkie screamed into his face, not giving Iron Will the chance to regain composure, **“WHY WERE YOU SPYING ON US?!”**

Normally, Iron Will would have asserted his superiority to the upstart pony through one of many methods that he made a living giving lectures about. However, he remembered this particular pony from his last trip, the one that gave him the idea for the “No means No” circuit of speeches. Not only had she done things in front of him that defied all sense of logic or reasoning, but during this specific visit he’d heard that this pony had invented a way to weaponize parties, the so called “Party Cannon”. Iron Will couldn’t even fathom how a pony could fit a social gathering into a portable version of castle defense technology. And then the rumors of this pony’s dark side where she turned a different, more murderous kind of psychopathic compared to her normal psychopathy and also involved turning individuals into cupcakes somehow. So, as a result, he feared this pony, and he was not about to give her an excuse to turn him into a cupcake.

“Okay, okay, Iron Will knows all of it! He knows your friend Applejack is a werewolf and you’ve been helping hide her secret!”

“And how long have you known this!?” accused Rainbow, dashing right up into the minotaur’s face.

“Yeah, and what were you planning to do to her, you ruffian?!” added Rarity, having taken up a book titled _Magical Compendium, Vol. 1-36_ that looked far larger than any book should have been. Twilight looked similarly angered, not happy at all that the individual she’d help get any kind of clue towards hunting werewolves was now possibly aiming to turn her best friend into a rug.

“Now hold on!” boomed Iron Will, deciding to go for broke and asserting himself. The fact everypony else in the room, including the pink nightmare, took a step back, meant he’d succeeded. “Look, Iron Will is here to hunt werewolves, and unfortunately it seems your friend has become the very thing Iron Will is hunting, but he doesn’t want to kill her.  
“Just so you know, Iron Will was only told about Applejack’s lycanthropy earlier today, and the threat she posed to the town due to her lack of control over her, erm, ‘powers’ so to speak.”

“Lightning Dust…” seethed Rainbow Dash. There would be talking between her and LD later, once this whole business here was settled first.

“Hey, look,” argued Iron Will, “she only told Iron Will her concerns because she doesn’t want the town to suffer from a hidden threat that you can’t say was fully under control.”

“Riiiight” sarcastically agreed Rainbow.

“Um, girls?” spoke Fluttershy timidly, usually not put in the position as the voice of reason, “shouldn’t we be more concerned about Applejack right now?”

“Oh, shoot, you’re right!” realized Rainbow, turning mid-air to face the assembled ponies. “The map indicated she’s heading towards the direction of Winsome Falls, at the rate the dot on the map seems to be indicating she’ll be at a clearing we used as a campsite during our hike there in about thirty minutes!”

“But that’s a full day’s hike, there’s no way we’ll be able to catch up with her in time, that brute Sable might have made off with her then and even knowing her location will not mean we can save her!” cried Rarity.

“Not so, Rarity! Lyra shouted in triumph. “The car Sandalwood and I built can make that distance in only a couple of minutes, the only problem is that we can’t take everybody as excluding Dash because she’s a fast flyer, there’s ten of us who need to get a ride including Spike, and the car only has room for five ponies!”

“Ahem?” interrupted Iron Will. “As much as Iron Will knows this is awkward, he would like to come along with you ponies, as even though the exact details will need to be told to him later on, especially who this ‘Sable’ pony is, if you need to restrain a werewolf Iron Will is probably going to be able to do it much better than any of you.”

“Okay, eleven individuals who need to ride in a five seat car,” corrected Sandalwood. “Some of us are going to need to stay behind, and although you probably would be a good bet to take along , Iron Will, I’m not sure the car can handle your weight in addition to five other ponies.”

“What about mah own car?” suggested Apple Bloom. “Yeah, yeah, Ah know if Ah hadn’t had the help of mah friends and built it then wrecked it in the Everfree none of this woulda happened, but we can’t argue about that now. Ah’m sure it would be easy to fix with all of us, and it could allow at least Iron Will to come along since it’s built off of a super-strong cart.”

“Well, we don’t have much of a choice, now do we?” reasoned Twilight. “Big Mac, is Apple Bloom’s car still at the apple farm barn where I put it?”

“Nopony that Ah know of has touched it” replied Big Mac.

“Then come on, everypony, we don’t have a second to waste!” ordered Twilight, motioning for everypony to head out the door. “Lyra, Sandalwood; you two go get your car and meet us at the farm. Iron Will, you come with the rest of us to the farm. We’re going to need your strength.”

“Iron Will’s strength is yours!” answered the minotaur, as the herd moved out to try and fix up the machines they’d need to save their friend. Along the way, Big Mac picked up Applejack’s Stetson and placed it on his own head, he figured it would help later on in keeping Applejack sane if she had something tying her down to her family roots.

* * *

When Applejack finally came to her senses, she found herself sliding to a halt in a familiar location. Even though she’d been here only once, she instantly recognized it as the first campsite she, RD, and Rarity had taken the CMC camping on their trip to Winsome Falls.

“But how did Ah…?” asked the werewolf to nopony in particular. The last time she’d done something without any memory was when she’d somehow walked from Golden Oaks all the way to The Meatery and didn’t come to her senses until half a meat burger had gone into her gullet. Although now she was practically eating two meat patties a day, the feelings she’d had at that moment still gave her the shivers, and only reminded her of how far gone she’d ended up in her current state.

Which, on that subject, she noted placed her currently in her wolf form, when she clearly remembered being a regular pony back at the library. That meant there was a worryingly long period of time where she was in her more vicious, feral form and not in control at all. She could only pray nopony had crossed her path and been maimed or killed by her own hooves…paws…whatever they were. Her father’s hat was also missing from her head, but she vaguely remembered seeing it fall of her head back at the library, so it was in Twilight’s possession at the very least.

The question remained, however, of what had caused her to run all the way to this spot, a distance of a day in a normal hike but something she’d covered in just under an hour’s solid running. The answer soon presented itself.

“Ah, there you are, my sweet…” spoke a deep, slightly gravelly voice from behind Applejack. She stiffened, her fur momentarily standing on-end. She had never seen the creature behind her beyond a single encounter months ago, but the feeling she had now was the exact same as of when he had sunk his teeth into her throat. She then turned to look at the other presence, eyes narrowed with a slight golden glow. He may have been a terrifying werewolf, but she was one now as well, a fact she kept in mind as she spoke to him directly:

“Ah don’t know what you want with me, but after all you’ve put me through, if you expect me to be easy to wrangle, then you had better be ready for a ride!”

**Author's Note:**

Apologies for the late update, I spent most of the day yesterday traveling to a relative's house for a family reunion and I was dead tired when I finally arrived at some point after midnight that I didn't get my laptop unpacked until this morning.

Still, happy 4th of July!


	22. Book1 Ch.22 Red Paw

Chapter 22 “Red Paw”

Twilight appeared in a puff of magic smoke outside the one lit barn on the farm.

Inside the barn, the rest of the impromptu “Werewolf Rescue Squad” were operating as if they were a pit stop team going for the world record of making car modifications. On one side of the barn, Lyra and Sandalwood were busy tuning their car to what they thought would be the best settings for off-roading, as the trail to Winsome Falls wasn’t as nice as those in Ponyville proper.

On the other side, it was like a complete overhaul project was being done in five minutes. While Iron Will acted as a jack, holding up one end of the car, Big Mac and Rainbow Dash were removing the broken axle and putting in an improvised new one. Rarity was off to the side, trying to make what appeared to be a cramped passenger area be a bit more comfortable. Pinkie, Fluttershy, Spike, Granny, and Apple Bloom were against one wall, ready to help with either project when needed but otherwise trying to stay out of the way.

“Did ya find the book you were lookin’ fer?” asked Granny.

“Yeah” replied the unicorn, “I can’t believe I forgot I had this book!” In her telekinesis was the copy of Magical and Maniacal Monsters of Malicious Mayhem which she’d received around the time Applejack had started exhibiting the signs of her coming lycanthropy, but it had been put aside and only now would its contents possibly provide insight into the situation at hand.

“That’s great, darling,” said Rarity, now standing atop the somewhat fixed car with its new axle, “but do you think you could lend me a hoof and use some of your transfiguration magic to spruce this thing up a bit?”

“How, Rarity? I’m not a mechanic.”

“Oh, I don’t know, do that spell you used on that apple for the carriage we used to go to the Grand Galloping Gala I guess.”

“Worth a shot, I suppose.”

“Wait, the Grand whatsit wha?” asked Iron Will, confused. As the upper class were more or less already pretentious assholes who threw money around when they needed to be assertive, they didn’t pay much attention to the minotaur who went around teaching the lower classes to be that way. Thus, Iron Will’s status among the elite ponies was non-existent and he knew nothing of their greatest gatherings.

“Don’t worry about it,” replied Twilight, levitating an apple from a nearby collection barrel and placing it on the ramshackle car. Everypony backed away as Twilight charged her magic and released it at the apple. The result was…unexpected. Generally, what everypony had expected was just a carriage top made in the shape of an apple but mounted on top of the old cart chassis. Instead, an entirely new vehicle stood where the old one had. It was similar to the other car in styling, namely headlights and presumable location of the engine, but that’s where the similarities stopped. Whereas the car Lyra and Sandalwood had built had its cabin open to the air, this new vehicle had a frame around its cabin in the shape of an apple, with space inside for three ponies. In the back was an open-air bed, with room for maybe three more ponies, or one pony and one minotaur.

“Wow!” exclaimed Apple Bloom excitedly, “that looks so much better than what Ah built with Scoots and Sweetie!”

“What is it?” asked Big Mac. The last time he’d seen anything like the machine before him, the other car in the barn notwithstanding, was the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, but whereas that machine had looked somewhat threatening, this new contraption did not.

“It’s a truck!” shouted Lyra, almost in awe of it. Everypony else agreed to not ask Lyra why she decided to dub it a “truck” as it probably involved humans.

“Well, I guess you get to drive the car, Lyra, because I’m going to have to take that truck out for a spin,” grinned Sandalwood.

“Okay, we don’t have much time!” interrupted Twilight, leaping into the back of the truck. “Lyra, you’ll drive the car and take Pinkie, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, and Fluttershy. Sandalwood, you’ll take the truck with Rarity, Big Mac, and Iron Will you’ll ride in the back with me since you can’t fit in the cabin. Rainbow Dash, you’ll fly from above since you’re the fastest flyer.”

“What about me?” asked Spike, everypony else going to their assigned vehicles. His answer was him suddenly lifting off the ground and being deposited in the truck bed next to Twilight.

“Okay, we ready to go?” shouted Lyra, putting on her driving goggles and revving the engine. Sandalwood did the same. Everypony was in consensus that it was now or never. “Alright, then, let’s go save Applejack!”

The two vehicles roared to life, shooting out of the barn with Rainbow Dash taking point, leading the odd convoy onto the path that led to winsome falls. Twilight bucked down in the back and cracked open her book, now was the time to do research that, if the fates were willing, would yield Applejack’s salvation.

Sable laughed. “Oh, please, I’ve been around for centuries, this isn’t, to put it in your terms, ‘my first rodeo,’ so to speak.”

“No…Ah didn’t think so, you’ve probably tortured many innocent ponies ‘cause of reasons that only make sense inside your head, includin’ both of mah parents and mahself!” accused Applejack.

“Your parents? Oh, those two. In all honesty I had nothing to do with them becoming werewolves, not directly anyway, but it is because of those two that I’ve acted the way that I have for the past decade.”

“What, turnin’ me into the same kinda monster as you just to get revenge on a pair of well-meanin’ ponies who never did you harm?”

“I hadn’t actually thought about it that way, though I suppose it could be considered revenge against them. After all, they never were proper werewolves to begin with despite being converted. But no, really I only decided to pass my gifts on to you at the last second. Frankly, you should be more thankful that somepony such as I saw fit to save you from the drudgery of civilization.”

“But if Ah wasn’t meant to be the one you made into a monster, then why did you do it to me? And who were you originally going to put this curse upon?”

Sable sighed. “If you’re going to be so insistent, you might as well know I originally planned to convert that stupid unicorn friend of yours, that boorish Twilight Sparkle.”

Applejack gasped, “B-but why her? What did she do to you to make you want to harm her such as you’ve done to me?”

“Nothing, really, at least nothing she’s directly done. However, she unfortunately happens to be the favored student of that intolerable Princess Celestia you ponies worship like a goddess. She never had the right to take the throne, or to split it with her worthless sister, so she deserves having her favored pupil taken from her. But, after what she took from me ten years ago…taking her pupil is only the start of what I intend to do in revenge against that bitch.”

Ten years ago? Thought Applejack, that’s when Celestia said she killed this…pony…with her magic, even to the point of vaporizing him. But how can he be standing here, unless she didn’t kill him?

Oblivious to the confusion on Applejack’s face, Sable continued. “I’m sure I’ll inform you about the actual reasoning later, but right now you just need to know that with your status as a fellow werewolf, you make the start of the next great age of Equestria.” He evilly smiled as he said that.

“And how exactly am Ah gonna do that?” suspiciously asked applejack, getting ready to make her choice of fight or flight namely out of fear of what he was going to say.

“Why? Because of the reason I turned you into a werewolf instead of Sparkle. You’re by far the best canidate out of the six Elements with your strength and endurance, which will surely be tested sooner or later, and will make a far better mate for me and the next generation of werewolves!”

The horror spread across AJ’s face like wildfire. She’d expected him to just say something like “the first minion of my new army” or something. She wasn’t expecting him to have done this to her simply so she’d be the one giving birth to his new army. “No…NO!” she screamed, turning tail and dashing back the way she came as fast as she could. She wasn’t going to let that old monster take her for his own, away from her family, her friends, everything that mattered to her. Simply being a werewolf was bad enough, but to be the enslaved concubine to that…thing…was beyond unacceptable.

A smirk came to Sable’s face as he watched his future mate run off. He gave her a few seconds before taking off to give chase himself. It was always more entertaining when his prey ran, and he’d never had to hunt another werewolf, so he expected this to be especially fun as it was something unique even to a thousand-year old individual such as himself.

“Ah! Slow down! These turns are slamming me all over the place and ruining my mane!” whined Rarity.

In normal circumstances, the Element of Generosity would have (and had) gone to extreme lengths to protect her friends, and this was no exception as Applejack’s life was potentially on the line. That being said, she would have preferred a much more comfortable ride to the whole “life-saving” part of the journey at hand. Currently, she was the unfortunate one who got the middle seat in the truck cabin, crammed in-between Big Mac and Sandalwood. Stuck between the big, red immoveable object of a stallion, and the naturally tough earth pony mare, Rarity was wedged into a spot she really shouldn’t have been able to fit in. Worse, the trail was full of twists and turns she didn’t remember “hiking” (if getting pushed by Sweetie Belle in a cart counted as that) that Sandalwood kept taking at high speed to keep up with Lyra’s car, the momentum pushing Rarity into either one of the two earth ponies next to her.

“Rarity, I love you as a friend, but for Celestia’s sake can you stop whining?” said Sandalwood, pushing back against Rarity as to have enough room to merely steer the wheel. Big Mac found the situation made worse by Rarity’s whining as well, but as usual he just stuck with it wordlessly.

In the back, Twilight and Spike (who were being held in comfortably by one of Iron Will’s beefy arms while he used the other to keep a steady grip on the truck cabin) were furiously paging through Magical and Maniacal Monsters of Malicious Mayhem to try and find anything of worth inside it. Unfortunately for Twilight, the book was everything she’d hoped for; a database loaded to bear with information about all kinds of creatures. Changelings, Hydras, Jestas, Zakus, every creature imaginable…except werewolves. It was extremely hard for Twilight to resist stopping just to read a paragraph or two.

“C’mon Twi, we gotta keep going!” insisted Spike.

“I’m trying, Spike, but there’s so much interesting stuff here that-“

“LOOK OUT!” cried out Pinkie, suddenly. Reacting fast, both Lyra and Sandalwood immediately slammed the brakes on the vehicles and slid to a stop. However, they did it in opposite directions such that the headlights now illuminated a fifty foot stretch of the path.

No sooner had they stopped then two figures shot out of the dark forest and into the light, time seemingly coming to a dead stop the moment both were in the glow of electric light. The first one was Applejack in her altered beast form, her face etched with horror and fear. The second, chasing figure was more distorted, looking far more like a hairy wolf but still enough like a pony for it to be identified as a werewolf. Its face screamed of almost feral pleasure and lust, as if it was enjoying the chase to levels no sane individual could. But the most telling element of the second figure was the remnants of what could only have been a cutie mark. Highlighted by the headlights, the red splotches on both of the figure’s flanks were seen by the occupants of the two vehicles on either side, forming the vague shape of a red pawprint. There was no question that the second figure was not only a werewolf, but it was none other than the infamous Sable Loam himself, his presence striking fear into the souls of all those assembled.

Then, just as time seemed to stop, it resumed, and both Applejack and Sable had shot off into the night, possibly not even having noticed the two vehicles flanking them.

“Who was that?!” asked Iron Will, confused at the presence of a second werewolf nopony seemed to have ever mentioned in his presence before.

“That…that was Sable Loam!” whimpered Fluttershy, recovering from seeing what could happen to Applejack if she gave into her bestial urges of mindless violence as a werewolf.

“Hey, wait a sec…” started Rainbow Dash, “was it just me, or did Sable look suspiciously exactly like-“

“-The creature that bit Applejack!” finished everypony else, the answer to that eternal question finally answered.

“Will somepony please tell Iron Will who this Sable Loam is?!” demanded Iron Will, getting a little impatient.

Rainbow swooped in front of the minotaur. “Okay, short version: he’s a traitor to the Equestrian crown, had King Sombra turn him and a bunch of his buddies into werewolves except he’s also immortal, he’s probably the one who turned Applejack into a werewolf, and now we have to go stop him before he does whatever he’s going to do to our friend. Got it?”

“Uh…I think…?” answered IW.

“Good! Now, let’s go, there’s no telling where they’re headed now!”

Applejack ran. She ran harder than she ever had run before. Her instincts were going haywire, as they were wired for her being a werewolf predator, not the werewolf prey. She couldn’t even think clear thoughts, the most coherent one being don’t go into town! Indeed, with all the noise coming from behind her, she still couldn’t let the town know about her lycanthropy. She’d be shunned for the rest of her life and Sable would win then.

So she instead changed course and went to the Everfree, back to the routes she used to run when being a werewolf was still a good thing to her. She was certain that at some point she’d gone through the light of headlights, both from that car thing Lyra and Sandalwood and built, but also possibly the resurrected form of Apple Bloom’s car, the accursed machine that had started this whole ordeal. Whether or not the rest of her family and friends had been in those vehicles, she hadn’t noticed, but she hoped they would come to her rescue soon as she could still hear Sable behind her.

Into the Everfree she went, down the old running paths but also improvising and going in-between them at random. The only thing she really looked out for was Poison Joke patches, getting contaminated by that practical jokester of a plant would not be pleasant in this situation. Eventually, after running non-stop for almost forty five minutes, she couldn’t hear her pursuer anymore. She knew better, however, and while she slowed down to catch her breath, she kept an ear open to try and detect him coming towards her.

As she slowed to a slight walk, she noted she was in a part of the forest she’d never been in before. It was noticeably younger than the rest of the forest, the trees in this area were mostly less than ten years old. Having transplanted trees all her life, Applejack knew the young, natural trees and the giant ones that had to have been transplanted from elsewhere in the Everfree.

But why would there be such an odd mix of trees in this area? wondered Applejack, before she realized she was dead-center in a valley, circular to the point that it was like an upside down hill, or there had been a massive explosion here.

Then she saw it. Next to a tree, the tallest tree around (probably placed as to disguise the odd terraforming from a Pegasus flying above the Everfree for some reason), was a single tombstone. She approached it, noting that it looked like it was in poor condition, as if it was just left here to be worn away.

Upon closer inspection, the tombstone appeared to be made of limestone, probably bought cheaply as it looked like one good impact would destroy it. But an even closer inspection revealed a name had once been inscribed upon the face, but years of weather had worn it away to an indecipherable series of scratches.

“Her name was Fair Vista,” said Sable, coming up from behind Applejack. The orange werewolf immediately spun around, but both werewolves knew she wasn’t going to run. She was still breathing heavily from the exertion of having to run, an amazing thing considering her normal athletic ability and the boost from being a werewolf. Sable, on the other hand, looked like he hadn’t broken a sweat.

“Who, the last pony you turned into a werewolf? Did she die of natural causes, or because she eventually devolved into a full wolf, somethin’ Ah’m probably gonna end up becomin’?”

“No, when I turned her, and unlike you she was thankful for what I gave her, she too became immortal and the years we spent together were the happiest of my life.”

“Let me guess, she was your mate? What does that make me, your sad attempt at replacing her?”

“You should be honored that I even consider you worthy of being as good a candidate for filling her role, and you’ll do just fine as part of my revenge plan, since you are the Element of Honesty are you not?”

“Okay, just what in the hay did Celestia do that has you so pissed off?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Celestia murdered the only pony I ever cared about, right here on this spot, and by hell or highwater, I will avenge Fair Vista!”


	23. Book1 Ch.23 How it's Done Down on the Farm

Chapter 23: “How it’s Done Down on the Farm”

“You liar!” snarled Applejack, “Princess Celestia wouldn’t murder anypony, even if they were pure evil like you! She didn’t murder King Sombra when she and Princess Luna sealed him away in the frozen north, and she didn’t murder Nightmare Moon when she banished her to the moon for a thousand years! She may not see fit to kill, but her punishments can be far worse than death!”

“As expected, you’re just as blind to your Princess’s true actions as the rest of her ‘loyal subjects’. There’s no question that Celestia is the reason my beloved was incinerated in a massive explosion that created the pit in which we now stand! She intended to kill me that night, as I’m sure her version of the story states, but let me tell you the _real_ story of what happened ten years ago!”

* * *

_“Really, Starlet? I don’t understand why you think those two are the ideal candidates for establishing a new pack. They’re simple farmers, they don’t yearn for the hunt like I do or to see the world like you,” asked Roneo._

_“Oh, hon, trust me, because they’re farmers means they’ll know how to quickly set up a way to feed the rest the group, and nobody is going to miss them because they’re part of that bloody Apple Family. I swear they’re so common they make up like half of Equestria’s population,” Starlet muttered._

_Starlet and Roneo, really the disguised alter-egos of Fair Vista and Sable Loam, were sitting at some pastry shop in the middle of some town they’d happened to come across while wandering the world. Using their disguise charms; Vista with an enchanted locket and Sable with a special piece of his old guard armor hidden in his satchel, they were able to freely integrate into this “Ponyville” society. At least as much as possible when one of the local hot-spots was a pastry shop decorated to look like a gingerbread house, the one the disguised werewolves were currently sitting at and eating an ice-cream cake filled with strawberry ice-cream. While Fair Vista had acclimated extremely well to the werewolf way of life, she never let go of her love for strawberry ice-cream and cake. While Sable truly disliked having to go anywhere near modern pony society, he was willing to tolerate short-term visits if it meant making Fair Vista happy._

_But he was having serious doubts about her idea about converting the local farmers into the cornerstone of a new werewolf pack. Sure, they were strong, but Sable was concerned about their rather calm temperament. Ponies who didn’t have much anger capacity were never going to make good werewolf warriors; to Sable, being angry fueled part of the hunt. Then there was the other problem._

_“Stary, don’t forget the problem with conversion; there are the very rare ponies who can become long-lived werewolves and retain who they are. The weak majority will succumb to lycanthropy and become useless, primal wolves.”_

_Starlet/Fair Vista laughed, “Oh, please, you said that process takes months. Plus, you found me, and I’m clearly not devolved into a lesser being, right?”_

_Sable had to admit, it was pure luck that the one mare he’d ever loved also happened to be one of the rare variety who retained her pony mindset and form. He’d love to have an army of werewolves who were immortal like them to take over Equestria. But were farmers really the answer to that wish?_

_“Honey, just let me handle this. Worst case; you’re right, the farmers are just as good as cattle and will be worthless to us in a few months and we have to start from scratch. At the very least we’ll have learned from our mistakes and can try again. We’re immortal, we’ve got nothing_ but _time.”_

_“Have I ever told you how glad I am that the mare who joined me for all these decades is also the smartest mare I’ve ever known?” said Sable, leaning in to kiss his love._

_A few days later, after nights of stalking the place for the right moment, Fair Vista moved in. She’d caught her targets: a local farming couple by the names of Appleseed and Cornflower, and had made quite a bloody mess of them, but had at least left them alive for the emergency response ponies to deal with. Most importantly, she’d sunk her fangs into their necks pretty deep, so there was no question they had contracted lycanthropy._

_A mile away, Sable and Fair Vista were in the middle of “celebrating” the start of their long-term plans when Sable caught sight of a large flash of light. To his horror, he recognized that light despite only having seen it last almost a thousand years ago, when Celestia had called him out for being a would-be usurper._

_“Sable?” asked Fair Vista, realizing something was wrong, “what’s that light?”_

“Run!” _he shouted, turning and nudging Vista to get up. She did so quickly, her pupils shrinking at her lover being in fear. There was only one pony on the planet who he feared, and if she was close by…._

_The shouts of innumerable Royal Guards sounded out less than a mile away, charging into the forest without abandon. The werewolf couple turned tail and fled as fast as they could. The ground troops were nothing to worry about; after all, they could not match the speed of experienced werewolves. The Pegasus guards, however, were the real concern. They could keep up with a werewolf with ease, and unless they were low-flying there was no way to attack them._

_Deciding to split up, the two werewolves promised to meet up later and headed off in different directions. For a few hours this tactic went on, a cat-and-mouse game where the predators were now the prey, all around the forest next to Ponyville. Finally, to Sable’s relief, he could hear the order to retreat being given and all of the pursuing guard noises faded away._

_“Man, the guard is nothing like it used to be when I was still in it, and even then it was bad. But at least Vista and I got away. Now to-“_

_He was silenced in his voiced thoughts by a sight he hoped to never have seen. There, hovering above the ground with her mighty wings beating in concert, was Princess Celestia herself. With an expression of extreme disgust, her horn was channeling unfathomable amounts of magic, and a gigantic ball of pure light was growing from its tip. Then, Sable realized the Princess wasn’t aiming at him, she probably didn’t even know he was here._

“Vista!” _he cried out as he moved towards where the Princess seemed to be aiming. But the Princess, oblivious to her true target’s location, had found a werewolf near the scene of the crime and she was going to eradicate its cursed existence out of her kingdom. She swung her head back, and then forward sharply, sending the now-massive light ball crashing into the Everfree and right on top of who she thought was Sable Loam._

_As the real Sable Loam rushed towards Fair Vista, he could only watch as the ball simply kept sinking into the ground as he raced towards it, a sudden surge of power rushing past him as it detonated, destroying a large area of the forest and knocking Sable back into a tree, knocking him out._

_It was a bright, sunny day when he woke up; he was in his much-hated original form as a pony instead of his preferred wolf form. Shifting back to normal, he rushed_ _to the center of the blast_ _and hoping beyond hope Fair Vista was alive._

_Sadly, all he found was a massive crater in the Earth. Everything that had been in it was simply disintegrated. No burned tree-trunks, no chared carcasses of dead animals, and no Fair Vista at all. In fact, all Sable found of his lover was her locket, which she must have somehow dropped right outside the radius of the crater and thus escaped destruction. But the mare herself had been wiped clean away. By the very same Princess who had set him down the path of becoming what he was now._

_Sometime later, once Celestia’s terra-forming project had disguised the crater as a natural part of the Everfree, Sable worked up the nerve to return to the site and place a gravestone he’d bought in town. On its surface he used his own claws to carve Fair Vista’s name into the otherwise blank surface, and once done he swore vengeance for her, and everything Celestia had done wrong by him. Years later, he would learn that a pony named Twilight Sparkle, prized student of Celestia and the one who had restored the Elements of Harmony, was living in that same accursed town. He made it his mission to see a new pack created in Fair Vista’s name, with no acceptable outcome other than the death of Celestia and his ascension to ruler of all ponykind..._ _which wouldn’t remain ponies for long._

* * *

“Wait, let me get this straight,” said Applejack,” Your whole plan was essentially to get revenge on the Princess by convertin' Twilight into a werewolf under your command, then use her to build up an army of werewolves to overthrow the Princess?”

“Basically, yes.”

“And you think _nopony else_ has ever tried that before?”

“It would be common knowledge if such an attempt was made, wouldn’t it?”

Applejack just stared at her tormentor. Then, starting with a giggle, she suddenly burst out laughing.

“What?!” asked Sable, “What is so funny?!”

“For somepony who likes to hide in public, you sure aren’t up to speed with current events! Tell me; does the name ‘Queen Chrysalis’ mean anythin’ to ya?”

“Uh, no. Why?”

Applejack laughed harder, “Well, it should, since she pretty much did _exactly_ what you wanted to do with her army of Changelings, and she almost _succeeded_ too! You don’t have _anythin’_ compared to Chrysalis’s resources, yet you think all ya need to do is turn a bunch of ponies into werewolves and lead them in an all-out attack on Canterlot. Ah’m nothin’ more than a simple farmer, no fancy learnin’ an’ all that, and even Ah can tell your plan has more holes in it than one of Rarity’s teabags! You’re just the butt of one long joke, aren’t ya? Ah bet Sable Loam isn’t your real name, it’s actually Butt Stallion!”

Unfortunately for Applejack, her comment ended up striking a nerve deep in Sable’s subconsciousness that hadn’t been triggered in a long, long time.

“I will _not_ be insulted in such a manner!” growled Sable, barring is razor-sharp teeth, “I was relegated to being a stupid scout back when I was in the guard, all because my commanders thought their silly little tactics and diversions were more honorable than being a true killer and facing the enemy head-on! Now I am centuries older, I’ve survived trials you cannot imagine and I will _not_ have the one who will mother my new army think I’m dumber than an uneducated country hick!”

Applejack bared her fangs in return “Are you for real? After all this build-up Ah’ve been force-fed about how you’re supposed to be some kind of immortal nightmare, and now you’re takin’ offense at me sayin’ Ah’m smarter than you? Ah’ve suffered at your hooves…paws…whatever for this long, and you want to play _that_ stupid game with me?”

“I will make you learn your place, bitch!” snarled Sable as he lept to subdue the unruly werewolf in front of him.

“Ah might be a bitch, but no way am Ah’m gonna be _your_ bitch!” retorted Applejack, who in turn evaded and proceeded to launch her own barrage of attacks at Sable. It was a dog-eat-dog situation, where two werewolves had entered, but only one would leave.

* * *

Meanwhile, not too far from the crater…

“Yes, finally!” exclaimed Twilight, “I finally found it!”

“Found what?” Iron Will asked.

“The section on werewolves!”

“Oh, right.”

As Twilight read on, however, the smile on her face drooped into a frown as she started to figure out just what was going on with Applejack.

“Find anything useful yet?” called out Sandalwood from the driver’s seat.

“It’s not good!” answered Twilight, “due to the nature of what lycanthropy is, according to this book, Applejack’s only hope of ever being restored to her normal self is if she kills Sable Loam!”

**“She has to** what **?!”** exclaimed a horrified Rarity. “Applejack’s not a killer! I mean, sure, she eats meat by the bucketful lately, but she’d never willingly take another pony’s life…would she?”

“That’s what I’m worried about. Normally she wouldn’t, but if she had given in to the point where she will kill…could Applejack truly return back to normal?”

* * *

Sable had to admit, he hadn’t been expecting the fight to be this challenging. It worried him, even, that although Applejack was still yet very inexperienced as a werewolf, she was already bobbing and weaving around his attacks like she’d done this for years. It made him wonder just what a rodeo actually was, if this mare had won awards in such things.

He was rewarded for his diverted attention with a claw swipe to the face, as Applejack lashed out.

“How do you like _them_ apples?!” she shouted. Her response was receiving a sudden blow to the chest, followed by a long swipe at her side. Sable’s claws didn’t go deep, but they did leave some sizeable cuts that really hurt, even considering how they were already healing slowly.

“To be honest, I never liked apples,” Sable taunted as he launched into another attack. Applejack tried to block, all she got for her trouble was more wounds on her forelegs as swipe after swipe lay into her. Suddenly, Applejack spun in place, causing Sable to fly past her. She took the chance and moved in, clamping her jaws onto Sable’s hind leg. He screamed as the pain registered in his brain. He got her to let go after landing some more hits, but while it was the most serious wound of the fight so far, Applejack was shocked to see him seemingly just start walking it off.

“Oh, you’re gonna make a _great_ mate once you finally realize you belong to me…” said Sable with a sinister tone.

“Not gonna happen!” replied Applejack.

“But it’s true! After all, your parents belonged to me after Fair Vista turned them into werewolves. How do you think they died?”

The mixed emotions played out over Applejack’s face. “No…you can’t know how mah parents died! Nopony does!”

“Oh get a grip on reality! That howl I used earlier to draw you to me? I used it that night to summon your parents to see if they were worth keeping around. Somehow, it sort of worked, but your mother was worthless and your father was already too far gone towards being a wolf, so I killed them.”

“You…you mean _you’re_ the one who killed mah mom and dad?!”

“I’m surprised I’ve ended up having to explain that, but no worries. You’re _far_ better stock than your parents, and I won’t be making the same mistakes.”

“Your mistake was thinkin’ Ah’d go along with you in bein’ a murderous werewolf!” cried Applejack as she launched into another fury of attacks, Sable doing the same.

* * *

Celestia had just sat down to enjoy a late evening cup of tea and to read some more into a new science fiction book Twilight had recommended before she went to bed. While the title, _Razorblade Angel,_ was rather unusual, the content was excellent and Celestia was worried the book would end too quickly.

That’s when the letter appeared in a cloud of magic. Surprised to be getting a letter this late, Celestia opened it up and expected a friendship report. What she got caused both her coat, mane, and tail to instantly pale.

Thirty seconds later Luna found herself being escorted by guards to the royal armory, where she found Celestia putting on her battle armor for the first time in what must have been centuries.

“Sister, just what is the meaning of this?!” inquired the azure alicorn.

“He’s back, Luna, and Applejack is in serious danger!” replied the surprisingly frazzled sun princess as she magically attached a foreleg armor piece. She didn’t need to go into specifics for Luna to understand who “he” was.

“But Celly, what do you hope to accomplish by going out in full battle barding? You’re acting like you’re leading the assault against the Changelings for crying out loud!”

“That’s because I mean to end this tonight, Luna. I made a mistake over a thousand years ago when I didn’t just have Sable executed on the spot for treason, and it’s cost thousands of ponies their lives if not more. Unless I stop that monster now, he might make victims out of more than just one unfortunate mare. Sable Loam will die tonight, with his heart impaled by my horn if need be.”

“But what if he bites you, what if he tries to turn you into a werewolf? Equestria needs us to remain pure, just imagine the chaos that would erupt if you ended up as some kind of abomination?”

“That’s why the battle armor, sister. No bite can break these plates, not even the bite of a dragon. And don’t ask me how I know that.”

Luna was silent for a moment, watching Celestia continue to suit up. Then, she asked, “Should I go with you, and if so, will I need battle armor?”

“I’d greatly appreciate it, Luna,” replied Celestia. “We defeated Sombra together once, we can defeat his creations the same way. But I want you to stay in the air. I’m going to fight Sable on his own terms simply to ensure he dies, but air support is always welcome.”

“Then he shall find no safety under the moon tonight!” declared Luna, appropriately switching to the RCV.

* * *

Applejack felt herself get slammed into a tree, then collapse on the ground. She was spent; the running had taken a good deal of energy out of her, but while she’d done remarkably well in fighting off Sable, his superior endurance and skill eventually won out.

“Now that I’ve finally broken you, I guess it’s time to break you in… _fully_! _”_ said Sable, very huskily. As he slowly moved over behind Applejack, she was scared that he was going to ravish her, and that this truly was the end of her life as a pony.

Or it would have been, had the roar of engine motors not started to echo out of the forest, followed by the car and the truck shooting out from atop the crater edge and almost flying down to meet the werewolves at the bottom.

“What in the hell are-“ started Sable, who was cut off with the sudden appearance of the pink, bushy-maned pony he’d seen earlier in Ponyville. She had a mischievous grin on her face, to which Sable then realized she somehow had brought a cannon into point-blank range against him. He had no time to react before the pink pony pushed a button on the weapon and blew the werewolf back a good little distance from a combination of confetti, glitter, deadhor5 dubstep, and raw force.  
Wasting no time, Pinkie leaned over to help the wounded Applejack get up. “You okay, AJ?”

“Not…really…” groaned Applejack as she struggled to get back to her feet. Partly because she was exhausted, partly because she nearly got violated by an ancient horror. “Ah don’t think you’ll appreciate just how close y’all were cuttin’ it there for mah sake!”

Close by, the vehicles finally found places to stop, and unloaded their passengers. Sable, upon recovery, found that what had once been a one-on-one fight had now turned into a one-against-all situation. Along with Applejack, there were now nine additional ponies who looked like they were ready to do some serious damage (that worthless yellow Pegasus naturally was hiding in the background), a baby dragon, and a minotaur, all standing at the ready to defend their compatriot.

“Oh, look, you finally have some help. Too bad you actually need them and couldn’t do it on your own, huh? And here I thought you were the strongest one here, but I must have thought wrong,” taunted Sable.

“Ah don’t know what you’re trying to do, you monster, but Ah am so past the point of caring, nothin’ you say will make me betray mah friends and be your personal toy.”

“But you even have a bloody minotaur!” accused Sable, trying to hide how desperate he was to keep his plans going. He hadn’t known about the ponies having access to strange machines that practically eliminated his ability to outrun them normally, and the odds were stacked against him. “While I haven’t seen one in ages, the last time I tried to hunt a minotaur didn’t end well.”

“What, you got your sorry butt kicked?” said Iron Will.

“Oh, quite the contrary. I did get my prey, but you minotaurs taste nothing like the cattle you’re supposedly related to. And I wasted all that time trying to go after that queen, too, but obviously as I’ve not troubled the Minotaurs for some time it should be clear I learned my lesson from that.”

“Wait…so _you’re_ the werewolf that killed the Minotaur Queen all that time ago?!” realized Iron Will.

“Yeah, and as I said it wasn’t worth it, so I don’t see the big-“

**“YOU’RE THE REASON FOR ALL THIS!”** Iron Will roared, loud enough to the point everypony else started to back away from him. Normally, Iron Will was actually quite approachable after getting past his showboating persona, but now things had gotten to a head. His eyes turned red, he was breathing heavily, and his muscles started to bulge. Some of the ponies in the audience also noted that his normally blue fur coat looked sort of green in this much angrier, hulking state.

“You think that’s going to intimidate-“ started Sable again, annoyed at being interrupted. He was interrupted again, but this time by Iron Will shooting forward, grabbing Sable by the neck, and slamming him into the ground with a large amount of force.

**“IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU I HAD TO DO ALL THIS!”** shouted the enraged minotaur, lifting up the stunned Sable only to deliver a punch to the face. **“IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH ALL THIS CRAP SIMPLY TO GET MARRIED!”**

“What is he on about?” asked Applejack.

“Oh, um, yeah, I probably should have mentioned this to you earlier,” said Twilight, “Iron Will’s reason for hunting werewolves in Ponyville is because if he catches a werewolf and brings it back to his homeland, he’ll be engaged to the Minotaur Princess.”

“So you’re sayin’ Ah’ve been in mortal danger ever since Iron Will came to town simply ‘cause he wants to get _married?!”_

“Yeah, pretty much,” Twilight said, oblivious to her friend’s reaction.

Applejack just facehoofed - or facepawed, in this case. While that whole discussion was going on, Iron Will was laying into Sable with blow after blow. Sable couldn’t believe how horribly outclassed he was against just _one_ opponent. Thinking it would change the flow of combat into his favor, Sable managed to land a deep bite into one of Iron Will’s arms.

**“AAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!”** screamed Iron Will, but to Sable’s dismay it only seemed to make the minotaur angrier as he just shrugged off what clearly should have severed some tendons. Sable then also remembered that he’d learned minotaurs were somehow immune to lycanthropy. The curse created by Sombra so long ago was tailored to fit ponies and ponies alone, and the inclusion of other species hadn’t even been considered.

Then, finally, Iron Will stood in the moonlight, his sweating posture highlighted by the numerous wounds ranging from simple scratches to deep bleeding wounds. But in his clenched fist was the even more severely beaten form of Sable Loam. Originally sleek and proud, it had been broken in so many ways both physically and mentally, as Sable understood this was the end.

“I could kill you right now, then drag your corpse back to my homeland and fulfill the ritual, thus getting my parents off my back about having to get married, “said IW, “but there is another reason why I can not allow myself the right to kill you.”

“Hah…even…after…all…that…you’re…still…weak…” rasped Sable, finding it extremely hard to breathe.

“No, I’m not the weak one.” Iron Will then just let go of Sable, who hit the ground with a loud THUD. “But I’m also not the one who has a curse to break.”

Twilight smiled at that. Iron Will was throwing away the whole reason for his coming out here for Applejack’s sake. “AJ, this might be difficult, but we think the only way to cure you of lycanthropy-“

“-Is to kill this pony once and for all?” finished Applejack, not surprised at the shocked reactions of her friends. “Yeah, yeah, Ah know Ah’m not usually the type to be all dark like that, but here Ah’m makin’ an exception.”

She walked forward, stopping in front of the crippled werewolf in front of her. “Git up.”

Sable cracked a grin. “Make me…”

With one swift motion, Applejack grabbed the bottom of Sable’s head and lifted it up just enough so she was looking him eye-to-eye.

“Ah’m not gonna let you die. Not yet. Not when Ah still need to make somethin’ very clear to you.”

Sable let out a pained laugh. “What? That you’re a better *cough* werewolf than me? Don’t be redic*cough*ulous, you’ll never be worth anything as a werewolf when you need your *cough* allies to help you against a single enemy!”

“And that’s mah point exactly.” Replied Applejack, narrowing her eyes, “Ah’m _not_ a werewolf, Ah never wanted to _be_ a werewolf, and Ah never _will be_ a werewolf. Not like you - _never_ like you. That’s why we’re different, Sable, you’re the wolf, but Ah’m still a pony. And when you’re dead Ah’ll be still alive; because you gave up being a pony so long ago and have never embraced the most powerful force there is in Equestira: the magic of friendship.

“The ponies around me? They are not mah ‘allies’. They are mah _family_ and mah _friends._ Helping each other out when a friend needs assistance is what ponies like them _do._ You never had a friend beyond Fair Vista, and even then Ah bet she was more of a follower to you than a true companion. And that is why Ah will never be a werewolf like you.”  
Applejack motioned for Big Mac, who understood and tossed Appleseed’s hat to AJ, who swiftly caught it and placed it on her head where it belonged.

“Mah name is Applejack, and Ah am, and will always be a _pony!”_

She thrust Sable’s head into the air to elevate his chest, and then quickly spun around and with the full force of her hindlegs she bucked him as hard as she could in the chest. The force of the impact shattered Sable’s ribcage, causing broken ribs to pierce his heart and ensure his oncoming death, but also knocked him back into Fair Vista’s tombstone. The old limestone tombstone shattered on impact, allowing Sable to keep flying backwards until he rebounded off the giant tree, collapsing in a broken heap on the ground. As he finally felt death’s embrace start to envelop him, only then did he notice the forms of Celestia and Luna descending from above. The false princesses had indeed gotten the last laugh.

“Damn you… **DAMN YOU ALL**!” was all Sable could say before death finally claimed him, leaving only a broken husk of a body to commemorate one of the darkest legends in Equestrian history having finally come to an end.

For Celestia, who had just gotten there with Luna and a full regiment of guards, it was the end of a nightmare she’d wanted gone for centuries. Now, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. “At last, it’s over, it’s finally over!” she exclaimed.

For Applejack, the victory was short lived however. The sudden onset of lightheadedness for some reason made her extremely woozy, and moments later she passed out on the ground and oblivious to the world around her.


	24. Book1 Ch.24 Family Reunion

A Hairy Problem Chapter 24: Family Reunion

“Applejack!”

_“Applejack!”_

“APPLEJACK!”

The orange pony cracked her eyes open. As far as she could tell, for some reason she had passed out shortly after she’d killed Sable Loam.

“Applejack, are you alright?!” sounded out a voice. It was vaguely familiar, but Applejack was still pretty dizzy in the head so she couldn’t place it.

“Unnhh…hol…hold on…” she muttered, slowly rising off the ground. She felt several sets of hooves grab on to her, assisting her back on her own set, letting her know that she was back in her regular form, if not totally back in mental capacity. Blinking a few times, Applejack could finally start seeing her surroundings. Her friends and family were surrounding her, concerned looks on their faces, while Royal Guardsponies were all over the place. Just within her limited field of vision, Applejack could also see a heavily injured Iron Will sitting down and receiving medical treatment from a Guard medic.

“Well, did it work?” impatiently asked Rainbow Dash.

“Did..did what work?”

“Killing Sable Loam! Are you back to normal? I mean, you were glowing after you passed out and you turned from your wolf featured form to your regular pony body, then stopped glowing.”

“Ah…Ah don’t know, really…was that supposed to make me fully a pony again?”

“Yes, at least that’s what the book said,” Twilight mentioned.

“What book?” asked a voice Applejack was surprised to hear. Looking at the direction of the voice, it was in fact Princess Celestia. Both she and Princess Luna were here, fully dressed in battle armor for some reason, but Applejack hadn’t noticed.

In response, Twilight pulled out the copy of _Magical and Maniacal Monsters of Malicious Mayhem_ and telepathically handed it over to her mentor. The magic aura around the book changed from purple to yellow as Celestia examined the book closely, a smile coming to her face.

“I guess in the end he did get his revenge on his former leader,” mused Celestia.

“Who got revenge, sister?” asked Luna.

With her hoof, Celestia pointed out to Luna that the author of the book was one Bronze Shield.

“Bronze Shield? Isn’t he that one pony with the cutie mark mange?”

“The same.”

“Um, Princesses?” sheepishly asked Twilight, “Who is Bronze Shield?”

“Bronze Shield was Sable Loam’s right hand pony back when Sable led his centurion away from the guard and to Sombra’s Empire. He turned on Sable after becoming disillusioned with him and abandoned the werewolves shortly before Luna and I made our move to free the empire. He was the first of the few surviving werewolves of the time to both re-pledge his allegiance to the twin thrones of Equestria and to tell us of the monstrosities Sable had turned himself and his men into. I’d say if there was any writing to be trusted about werewolves, it would be written by him.”

“Wait…cutie mark mange?” asked Applejack, before turning to look at her flank. She was overjoyed to see her triplet of apples, which had faded to almost being nonexistent out of her lycanthropy, had now returned to their full color luster, as bright as the day they had appeared so long ago. “Mah cutie mark, it’s back!”

“That means you’re back to normal, right?” Apple Bloom wondered.

“Only one way to find out” said Applejack, who began to focus on turning into her wolf form. Before the fight with Sable, she’d somewhat worryingly been able to figure out how to shift between forms simply by thinking about it. But now, try as hard as she could, she could not make herself turn into her monstrous form. “Ah…Ah think I’m finally free of that curse!”

“This calls for a party!” immediately declared Pinkie Pie, rearing up to stick her forelegs in the sky. But as she looked up, she asked “why is that star so bright?”

This prompted everypony to look up, and before even the princesses or Pinkie could react, they were hit with what was could have been a falling star, encapsulating all the ponies involved with Applejack’s werewolf secret in a blinding light that outdid anything Celestia was capable of.

* * *

Celestia came to, standing on her four legs, in a place she could not recall ever having been in before.

“Celly?” asked Luna, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, “Where are we?”

“A plane of existence above that which we normally can’t even attain…there are powers at work here nopony of even our status can ever hope to achieve, but I don’t know why.”

“Well, that’s kind of a bummer, since I was just about to ask that of you, Princess,” Sandalwood drawled. She, Lyra, the Apple Family, and the Mane Six were all gathered in one group along with the princesses in what appeared to be an otherworldly realm. There was no ground to speak of, but a visible horizon separated the slightly green tinted luminescent floor and what seemed to be a sky made of the night, filled with constellations.

“Are…are we dead?” asked Fluttershy.

“I don’t think so,” added Twilight.

“Well, I would hope this isn’t the afterlife,” said Rarity, going into involuntary critic mode, “as nice as the setting is I do kind of wish it wasn’t so…open and…empty.”

“Don’t worry, this isn’t the afterlife, and you’re not dead.” Said another new voice, once that the Princesses seemed to instantly register as familiar. Celestia and Luna looked at each other, then in the presumed direction from where the voice had come from, together uttering the name of their God;

“Mom?”

As if in response, a large figure emerged as if both materializing from nothing and out of a thick fog. She was an alicorn, much like the Princesses, but unlike Celestia and Luna she wore no crown nor royal accessories. Her coat was off-white, her mane and tail a moderately dark shade of maroon, her eyes a pure blue, and her cutie mark, oddly enough, was an ink well with a feather pen. The regular ponies were stunned at the existence of another alicorn, as counting Nightmare Moon as a separate entity there had been only four true alicorns within the past thousand years, with the youngest being Princess Cadence.

“Princess…” Twilight whispered to her mentor, “you and Luna just asked if this was your mother. If she is, then doesn’t that make her…”

“Yes, my faithful student. This is our mother: Queen Faust.”

Upon hearing their ruler say this new alicorn was of a royal rank higher than even she, they all immediately bowed. Faust just laughed. “Oh, Celly, I haven’t been queen for centuries, do you and Luna still insist on being mere Princesses for the rest of your lives?”

“To be fair, Mom,” Luna commented, “at the time we had to assume the throne after your passing, we were worried immediately assuming the title of queen would make the populace think we were evil.” Luna then looked away as she said “My…incident…with Nightmare Moon a few decades later certainly didn’t help matters.”

Faust merely smiled as she walked up to her youngest daughter, nuzzling her. “Oh, Luna…even in the afterlife I feared the Nightmare had forever changed you, you have no idea how happy I was when you were restored.”

Faust then turned to the Mane Six, saying “And I can not thank you six enough for saving my daughter from herself with the Elements.”

“Uh, pardon me for askin’, but…” Applejack began, taking off her hat and holding it on her chest, “didn’t Princess Luna just say you, um, died almost a thousand years ago?”

“I didn’t ‘die’ as in my heart stopped beating and I fell to the floor instantly, but it was my time to move on from the plane of physical existence into a higher one.”

“Why?” asked Twilight.

“It’s…complicated, to put it simply. Just understand that even as immortals we are allotted a limited amount of time in the physical realm and then we must move on. Though I am not in truth dead, my time in the material world is over and for all intents and purposes I am functionally gone from the world."

“Then, er, could you explain just what is goin’ on and if all of us are actually dead or not?” continued Applejack.

"Think of it...as a vacation," Faust said, the corners of her mouth rising slightly in a smile, and without a doubt those present suddenly learned where the royal sisters' sense of humor came from. “But how rude of me; I didn’t tell you what’s going on.”

Faust backed up a bit and cleared her throat, “This isn’t the true afterlife, but a place akin to the concept of ‘limbo’. A waiting room for the afterlife, if you will. However, while I am in a sense dead on the physical plane, none of you are, so our spirits are free to commune in this plane as long as it is allowed by the higher powers.

“You mean there are beings of even greater power than you, your highness?” asked a bewildered Twilight Sparkle. While she was the only one who voiced it, it was evident enough on all of the ponies that they had been thinking along similar lines.

“Of course, but they’re rather stern with how they allow lesser creatures to access other planes of existence and have only allowed this instance to happen because of the circumstances at hand.”

“Circumstances? Like what?” inquired Apple Bloom.

“Why, isn’t it obvious, young one? It is your sister becoming free of the lycanthropy curse cast upon her by Sable Loam.”

“Then why are you here, mother?” asked a confused Celestia.

“Because I’ve been wanting to talk with you and Luna ever since she was restored, as you both have long since come of age and I am so proud of you, but the powers that be didn’t see that as reason enough for such a meeting to happen.”

“Then why does mah gettin’ cured of mah hairy problem have somethin’ to do with that?” asked Applejack.

“Because my true purpose here is that I am the escort for two special ponies who want to talk to all of you, now that the curse on Applejack has been lifted.”

Big Mac almost immediately figured it out. “You…you don’t mean…”

The eldest alicorn nodded. “Being a psychopomp has its privileges,” she said with a soft smile.

Two more shapes emerged from the fog of nothingness towards the assembled ponies. However, they were regular size ponies, both of them Earth, and were clearly a married couple. The stallion was as large as Big Mac, with dark green fur and a mane/tail coloration of light brown, while the mare had a periwinkle coat with a two color mane and tail of purple and white. But it was the cutie marks that revealed their identities to the majority of the ponies who had never seen them before. The stallion had three seeds, while the mare had a single cornflower on her flank.

“Oh mah stars…” said Granny. “Appleseed, is it…is it really you?”

“Yes, mom, it’s me,” Appleseed answered, a tear coming to his eye.

“And is that you, mom?” added Big Mac, still trying to comprehend the sight of his mother in front of him.

“I would hope you would still remember me, even after all this time,” Cornflower said with a smile, before looking at her daughters. “My, how you two have grown!”

Applejack could say nothing, but Apple Bloom slowly moved forward. She could not remember having ever seen these new ponies before, but deep down she knew that they were the parents she’d never known.

“Wait, are... are y'all mah…Mom? Dad?” the yellow filly asked. Upon the affirmative nods from Appleseed and Cornflower, Apple Bloom launched into a dash and tackled into her parents, trying to hug them both at once. Big, fat tears came from her eyes as a missing part of her life was finally given back to her; the memory of what her parents even looked like, and more importantly what they were like as individuals. The Apple parents, in turn, embraced their youngest daughter, and the rest of the Apples moved in to make it all one giant family hug. For the first time in over a decade, the Apples were once again a family reunited.

“Let us give them some privacy” Faust suggested, smiling at the ill-fated couple finally seeing their children grown up. Her horn glowed a bright blue, and in a flash the three alicorns were whisked away to another location within the plane to hold their own family reunion.

* * *

“Look, Bloomie dear, I know you want you cutie mark, but you can’t force it. As the youngest in a family who has lived for generations on letting nature run its course, you should understand that.” Said Cornflower to her youngest daughter.

“Aw, come on, surely you must know some kind of supernatural tricks or somethin’ that Ah could use, maybe even tellin’ me what mah special talent actually is ‘cause y’all have seen the future?” pleaded Apple Bloom.

Appleseed laughed, “Just ‘cause we’re no longer among the livin’ doesn’t mean we’re now oracles or anythin’ Bloomie. Plus, anythin’ we can do now wouldn’t apply to you, since you’re still alive, an’ we want to see you continue to grow up.”

“Awwww…” whined Apple Bloom, “although now at least Ah can tell other ponies that even mah parents tell me and mah friends we gotta stop tryin’ to earn our marks that way.”

The six members of the Apple Family laughed, generating an aura of good feelings that continued to help provide much needed closure for those still living. Off to the side, the Mane Six, Lyra, and Sandalwood had formed their own group for discussion, giving the Apples the space they needed.

Appleseed, however, decided it had been long enough. “Hey, y’all, can you come over here? Ah guess it’s time we told everypony our side of this whole werewolf story.”

“But, we already know about what happened to you ten years ago, from various sources,” Lyra mentioned. Regardless, the other ponies gathered around with the living Apples.

“We know, but there is some information that you can’t possibly have learned from the world of the livin’,” pointed out Appleseed, who proceeded to nod to his wife.

Cornflower in turn steeled herself, taking in a deep breath, before she began to evaluate what the gathered ponies already knew. “Okay, so how much about werewolves do you all know?”

“Well…” started Twilight, “From what we have learned, Sombra was the one who originally created the werewolf curse about a thousand years ago, to grant the wishes of Sable Loam and his centurion to be more like wolves.”

“But more importantly, lycanthropy can be spread when a non-cursed pony’s blood comes into contact with the fluids of a werewolf, usually the saliva with a bloody bite to the neck if most cases are like what happened to Applejack,” added Sandalwood, causing Applejack to cringe at the mention of how she contracted lycanthropy.

“There was also reportedly two ways lycanthropy could end for the victim. Normally, the victim would succumb to the curse and irreversibly turn into a full wolf. In the extremely rare case that the victim was of a bloodline with a specific blood quanta, and bitten by a werewolf with the same effects as Sable, the end result would instead be no degradation into a wolf and they would become immortal.”

“Ah don’t know whether or not Ah was gonna end up a full wolf or not” said applejack, “Ah’m just glad we’ll never have to ever get to finding that out!”

“Actually, honey,” interjected Cornflower, “we know the answer, but we’ll get to that in a minute. First; what does the name Fair Vista mean to you all?”

“Fair who?” asked Pinkie, “I don’t know anypony by that name, and I know everypony’s names in Ponyville!”

“Fair Vista,” Applejack repeated. “Sable went on about her right before Ah fought him. Somethin’ about how ah was supposed to replace her as his mate or somethin’. Makes me wonder how far gone that mare had to have been to allow him to be _that_ close to her, unless she was brainwashed into it.”

“Fair Vista was a pony who only lived for the moment,” Appleseed stated. “She willingly chose at the drop of a hat to not only abandon her established life in Baltimare, leaving behind a lovin’ husband and her own daughter, but also to be turned into a werewolf all to live life as one big adventure.”

“Pardon me asking, but how do you know all this?” asked Rarity, ”I mean, no offense, but you’re…well, dead. Plus, you don’t seem to have any history with that pony.”

“Queen Faust told us,” said Appleseed, “or rather, she showed us with her magic, relatively around the time we did eventually die. She felt that we needed to know the truth behind our deaths, maybe to assure us that it wasn’t our fault that we ended up abandonin’ our children in the hooves of mah mother, the same way Fair Vista abandoned her child to only be raised by her father.”

“But the irony of it all,” added Cornflower, “is that Fair Vista was my ancestor. Her daughter would grow up and continue her bloodline for several generations, long enough that Fair Vista was not even a memory by the time I moved to Ponyville and married your father. But for over 240 years she remained alive and by Sable’s side. Her final, real act, was attacking us and turning us into werewolves.”

“Hold on,” said Twilight, “that means Fair Vista’s bloodline had the necessary blood quanta to be immortal. So if you’re a descendant of her, then you would have been immortal, and so all of your children would be as well.”

“Thankfully, only Applejack fell victim to lycanthropy, and she had been cured by ending the very monster who had caused us so much strife.”

“The same could not be said for me, however,” said Appleseed. “While Cornflower here would have been able to live on, Ah don’t have...whatever that thing you said was the thing allowin’ for that, and Ah was gonna become a wolf. By the time Sable sounded that howl that winter’s night, it was hard enough for me to just say full sentences.”

“That night…” continued Cornflower, “Sable had summoned us against our will into that blizzard to try and use us the way Vista had intended; to act as the cornerstone of his new werewolf army. However, he was so overcome with grief upon seeing us that he attacked us on sight. We did our best as werewolves ourselves to retaliate, and while we did some damage to him, he overpowered us and left us to bleed out in the cold weather. All we could think about was how we’d never be able to see our children grow up, but instead be burdened with the task of keeping the farm alive.” She then looked at each of her children in turn, Appleseed drooping a foreleg around her, as tears began to form in her eyes. “Your father and I…the fact you’ve thrived, grown, and that we can see you all at least once more…it makes us so happy.”  
Big Mac moved forward and embraced his parents, with the rest of the Apples following suit. It was a tearful moment, the moment of closure that while not evident, was something the living Apples had badly needed for over a decade.

It fell to the emerging form of Queen Faust to task of breaking the bad news.

“Appleseed, Cornflower, I’m sorry, but the time to send the living home is drawing near.” It was clear she, like the Apple parents, wished there had been more time to spend between them and their still living offspring.

Celestia and Luna then appeared out of nowhere to rejoin their subjects not as rulers, but as children who were bidding their parent goodbye.

“We’ll make you proud, mom and dad!” said Applejack, tearfully.

“Oh, Applejack, you silly little pony!” laughed Cornflower, “you all have already made us proud!”

And with that, there was a sudden explosion of light that enveloped all ponies who were present, closing the connection between the planes of existence and separating the dead from the living once more.

* * *

“Your majesties, are you alright?!”

Celestia blinked, realizing they had indeed returned to the plane of physical reality. One of the guards, a unicorn by the name of Glamdring, was frantically waving his hoof just in front of her face, apparently trying to get her attention.

“What? What is wrong?” she asked.

The guard seemed confused by his liege’s response. “The blinding flash of light? Didn’t you notice it?”

“What? Oh, yes, that. Tell me, soldier; how long have we been out?”

“Out? I’m afraid I don’t quite understand, the flash was just a few seconds ago.”

_Huh_ thought Celestia, _it felt like we were in that alternate plane of existence for hours, yet no time seems to have passed here. Amazing._

She was going to say something else to the guard, but the noises of all the other ponies snapping out of what must have looked like a momentary stupor. “Ah…don’t worry about the flash of light, it’s of a matter neither I nor Luna am at liberty to discuss.”

“Understood, your majesty.”

Just then, another guard, one of the pegasus chariot pilots by the name of Foe Hammer, walked up and presented a slightly beat-up satchel to Celestia. “Princess, this was found on the body of the dead pony. As you seemed to express great interest in this individual, it seems appropriate that you should see what he had first hoof.”

Celestia thanked and then dismissed the guard, before proceeding to open the satchel. It was a rather unremarkable satchel, similar to those in use by the national mail service, leaving Celestia to wonder who Sable had stolen this one from. The contents were marginally more interesting; a few preserved pieces of food, an old canteen that still was half full of water, a smaller bag full of bits, but then Celestia found the good stuff.

First was the old piece of brass. Celestia immediately recognized the faded carvings on the piece as being a fragment of Sable’s old guard armor from when he still served the crown a thousand years ago. It had been enchanted with a disguise spell at some point, but it hadn’t seen much use recently. Then next was the locket. This too had a disguise spell on it, but in contrast to the old brass this charm had been used recently. Probably to sneak around Ponyville or other cities undetected.

Finally, she pulled out the old picture, and her eyes went wide open in shock. It was an old picture, probably only a decade or two after the technology had been invented, as she could not make out any colors of the subjects. However, she could instantly recognize Sable Loam as he was not disguised for some reason, and she did a double take upon seeing the other pony in the photo. It was Fair Vista, it had to be, but take away that cutie mark and she looked almost exactly like a slightly older version of…

“Hey, it’s Intellect-I mean, Sable Loam’s bag!” said Twilight, trotting over to her mentor’s side. The rest of the non-guard ponies drifted over as well, herd curiosity taking over. “Who’s in the picture, Princess?”

“You tell me, Twilight,” said Celestia, handing off the photo to her pupil.

Twilight’s eyes dilated as she registered who was in the photo. “No way.”

“Let me see, let me see!” shouted Applejack, wedging her way forward and taking the photograph. “Wha? Is this some kinda joke?” she said upon seeing who Fair Vista looked like.

“AJ, didn’t your mother say Fair Vista was an ancestor of your bloodline?” said Rarity.

“Well, yeah, now that you do mention it. Before things went south for him, Sable told me he was originally planning on converting Twilight that night he attacked simply to get revenge on the Princess, but he changed his mind and went for me so I could be his new mate, only he never said why. Ah guess this here is our answer to that.”

In the photograph, Fair Vista was an almost dead ringer for a slightly older Applejack, freckles and all. The only major difference was a slightly rougher mane and tail style and the cutie mark, but without the colors it was a mistake that could be easily made.

“So Sable really _did_ have the hots for you.” Pointed out Rainbow Dash. “That is _really_ creepy, just so you know.”

Applejack responded with a mock vomiting motion, to which everypony laughed. Taking the moment, Celestia turned and headed over to where Iron Will was sitting.

* * *

“So let me get this straight,” said the medic. “You were hunting _werewolves_ because your king says if you bring him the corpse of one he’ll engage you to the princess?”

“Yeah, sounds stupid, right?” replied a despondent Iron Will, “Welcome to Iron Will’s life for the past few months. Chasing a legend simply because his parents nagged him to get married, and look where it’s gotten him.”

“I wouldn’t say it was a fruitless endeavor,” said Celestia, walking up and overhearing the conversation. Taking the hint, the medic bowed and walked off. While Iron Will was still beat up, he’d been mostly patched up and even without exposure to healing magic he’d be fine in a day or two with some new battle scars to impress the ladies with. “After all, you did end up getting the werewolf, right?”

“Kinda, sorta, I guess.” Replied the minotaur, dropping the third person as he was in the presence of foreign royalty. “But it doesn’t count, not in the end since I didn’t actually kill him. Applejack did.”

“But you made it easier for her to land the killing blow, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but in minotaur society it doesn’t matter who does most of the work, just who lands the finishing blow.”

“Then why did you let Applejack take your kill?”

“Because she needed to kill him in order to be cured of her own curse, that’s why. I wasn’t about to let something as trivial as an engagement for me, a minotaur who is already well off and living comfortably, prove to be more important than an innocent pony freeing herself from a curse that made her hate herself. I don’t think I could live with myself if I’d chosen to be selfish in that situation.”

“I consider that a very noble sacrifice.”

“Thank you, your majesty, but that doesn’t mean I can’t mope about having to throw away months of work with nothing to show for it.”

Celestia glanced over at the corpse of Sable Loam, still laying when life had left it. Oddly, unlike every other dead werewolf she’d seen, Sable’s body had not morphed back into its original pony form. Rather, it remained in its hairier, inequine wolf-like form.

“Iron Will, who was here to witness the death of Sable Loam?”

“Um, just me and those ponies over there. Why?”

Celestia smiled. “As Princess, I must be a good politician. And sometimes, politicians need to spin the truth. Luckily for you, I am in your debt for saving one of the Elements of Harmony from a threat even I failed to silence years ago, and I believe I can spin this to be advantageous to both of us due to all the witnesses besides yourself being devoutly loyal to me.”

Iron Will smiled back. “Go on…”


	25. Book1 Ch.25 Red Wedding

A Hairy Problem Chapter 25 “Red Wedding”

Wedding bells sounded off in a grand symphony as Castle Heiferton became enshrouded in a cloud of red and white confetti. Crowds of minotaurs lined the streets, cheering wildly, for it was a national celebration. At long last, Princess Circe was engaged to a worthy mate, and not since the international match held in the Estadio Cowcatlan when the National Minotaur hoofball team faced off against the Baltimare Orioles from Equestira had there been a larger crowd gathered in Heiferton.

In retrospect, there wasn’t a single minotaur who would have predicted that Iron Will, seen as something of an outsider to minotaur traditionalists due to him making a living off of giving seminars to ponies, would gain the hand of the princess. Yet, there was no mistaking him when he’d stomped his way in the middle of the royal court to present the body of a werewolf to King Minos. Even more sensational was Iron Will’s claim that the werewolf he’d brought was the same one who had killed the minotaur queen almost a thousand years ago. For him to make such a claim was saying he’d literally fulfilled the ancient king’s decree that would earn him both a dukedom and the princess’s hand.

Even more surprising was the support of his claim from none other than the diarchy of Equestria. In a public release, Princess Celestia stated that the werewolf in question, Sable Loam, had been threatening the state of her country on-and-off for centuries and more recently had made attacks on the Element bearers. Iron Will, in his werewolf hunting quest, had joined up with the Element bearers and several Ponyville locals to track down and end Sable once and for all, with IW doing most of the actual fighting due to his superior strength and immunity to lycanthropy, along with landing the killing blow. King Minos had been so hoping for a potential suitor to complete the task whose credentials were better than “pony motivational speaker”, but because of IW’s backing by Celestia (and by extension the entire upper class of Equestria), he had no choice but to honor the age-old promise.

“Oh, I do love a good wedding!” sniffed Rarity, dabbing her tears on a kerchief. She, along with all of the other ponies involved with Applejack’s ‘werewolf problem’ had been personally invited by Iron Will himself to attend the wedding as VIP guests next to the Princesses. Only Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor declined, citing lingering trauma that stemmed from how far south their own royal wedding had gone.

“Ah don’t know ‘bout y’all, but Ah’m a mighty suspicious of that ‘Princess Circe’,” muttered Applejack. “How do we know she ain’t Chrysalis in disguise?”

“I doubt Chrysalis would even dare try to use mind control on somepony such as Iron Will,” Fluttershy insisted. “Even she can’t have that much control over somepony as assertive as him!”

The cheers and murmurs of the assembled crowds died down as royal trumpets blared. The castle gates opened, letting out an entire regiment of armed minotaur guards dressed in their finest liveries. Following them was a troupe of traveling earth pony acrobats, serving to increase the already heightened feelings of celebration and merriment at the wedding.

Another regiment of guards followed the performers, then came the cart bearing the newlyweds. Pulled by a team of the six strongest minotaurs, hailing from all across the kingdom, the car was a beautiful piece of art crafted from solid white oak and pure gold. It had been specially built decades ago to serve as the vehicle of such weddings, and to ride in it was a true bragging right of the elite. Of course, simply riding in a royal cart paled in comparison to Iron Will’s alleged “slaying” of Sable Loam the immortal werewolf, and the crowds went wild as the recently christened Duke Iron Will waved at the gathered crowds with his new bride doing the same. Rarity was especially pleased to see them in their outfits, as part of Celestia’s agreement with Iron Will to give him the credit for killing Sable Loam was that Rarity be the exclusive designer for all attire worn by the participants of the wedding. It not only proved to make the bride and groom look simply outstanding, but also would generate a lot of advertising and business for Rarity in the international sense. As the cart rolled past the Equestriani VIP section, Iron Will gave his pony friends a wink and his trademark smile, along with a thumbs up. He’d never be able to truly repay them for what they’d helped him with, not the least of which was getting his parents off his back about getting married. The ponies in turn flashed their own winks and smiles with raised hooves, the closest they could get to a thumbs-up without actually having thumbs.

Finally, the last star of the royal procession reared his ugly head, as a cart guarded by Elite Canterlot Guardsponies rolled behind the newlyweds showed off Sable Loam. He was of course still dead, but as per minotaur tradition the beast that the groom had slain as part of his eligibility ritual was to be shown off during the wedding, then taken to be displayed in the married couple’s home as a hunting trophy. Due to King Minos being a stickler for tradition, Celestia had been convinced to allow Sable’s corpse to be taxidermied and publicly displayed. However, due to the unknown properties of Sable’s body as a result of it harboring dark magics over the course of a thousand years, the body was still a well of unknown possibilities, none of them good. It had been agreed upon by all parties that after the wedding, Sable’s body (and all extracted entrails and bodily fluids) would be shipped back to Canterlot under heavy guard to be sealed away, and a duplicate dummy of Sable’s body, virtually indistinguishable from the original if simply looked at, would instead be displayed at the couple’s discretion.

But as the body of Sable Loam trundled along in front of the minotaur masses, it was a humiliating end to the original werewolf who had terrorized Equestria for almost an entire millennium. The beast who had once dreamed of ascending to the throne atop Celestia’s broken corpse and beginning an age of werewolves as its king, now had been reduced to nothing more than a public spectacle that didn’t even give any indication to how Sable’s mind had been far more dangerous than his physical attributes. A fitting end for the disgraced former Royal Guard scout.

* * *

One month later…

“Yessir, these here apples are the sweetest, juiciest, and tastiest of their kind for miles around!” said Applejack, beaming with pride towards her crop.

“Seriously, dad,” said Sandalwood, “just get some, I can confirm that Sweet Apple Acres apples are everything she says!”

Sandalwood’s father; Sea Shanty, tapped his hoof to his chin. “Well, what do you think, dear?”

The unicorn next to him laughed. “Shanty, honey, it wouldn’t hurt to get some. I mean, they’re obviously not poison apples or anything.”

Something in the unicorn’s manner of delivery rubbed Applejack the wrong way. “Hey! You sayin’ mah crop is bad or somethin’?”

“What? Oh, no no no no!” apologized the unicorn, “I didn’t mean anything of the sort! My name may be Burnin’ Sarcasm but that doesn’t apply to everything I say!”

Sea Shanty just rolled his eyes knowingly and put some apples into his saddlebags before putting a good little amount of bits on Applejack’s stand. Surprisingly, Applejack moved to push some bits back.

“You’re Sandalwood’s parents, and Ah’m still in her debt after all her help she gave me while Ah was goin’ through some…personal issues. The least Ah can do right now is to give y’all a discount on mah stuff.”

“Well, gee, thanks Applejack!” said Sandalwood. “Now, come on mom and dad, I’ve got to introduce you to Pinkie Pie over at Sugarcube Corner. She’s a real character!”

“From how you’ve described her in your letters, she sounds like somepony I’ll like!” laughed Sea Shanty.

As Sandalwood and her parents walked away, Applejack couldn’t help but feel pangs of jealousy for Sandalwood being fortunate enough for her parents to still be alive. To be able to hug her, to kiss her, to cherish-

_No_ thought Applejack, _that’s not being fair to Mom and Dad._ While the physical means of expressing love had disappeared for Appleseed and Cornflower a decade ago, they still remained as more than a mere memory. They were still out there, watching from above, caring and worrying about Applejack and the rest of her kin.

The rest of the day was simple enough; the orange farm pony sold some more apples to various locals but not all of her stock. When the time came, Applejack loaded up the unsold crop into the barrels and hitched up to the cart. She began the trek home, taking care at that one fork to go the right way home and not to end up at the Meatery.

As she continued to walk home, she noted it felt almost exactly the same as the night months ago when the CMC had crashed their car into the Everfree, the night it all had begun when Sable Loam, seeing the form of his lover reincarnated with Applejack, deviated from his plans and cursed her with lycanthropy for the longest months of her life. She’d only been free of the curse for about two months now, having last seen Sable’s stuffed corpse during the Minotaur Wedding, but thankfully the only remnants of that condition were her sleeping fits where she kept waking up and fearing she would find she’d transformed back into a wolf, and even those had finally begun to fade away. Long gone were her involuntary actions such as a constantly wagging tail or her need to consume meat, that latter of which she was extremely relieved to have dropped.

Out of habit, after she’d stored the unsold apples, Applejack went to the barn where Apple Bloom’s mechanical abomination had once been sealed. Now it was referred to as ‘the garage’, for the vehicle had permanently changed into the Apple Truck thanks to Twilight, now currently sitting inside and waiting to be useful again.

With the truck not going anywhere, Applejack then turned her attention to another part of the farm, this time a place much more sacred. There, in the rose-covered private cemetery of the Apples, the former werewolf sat down in front of the graves of her parents. Taking caution to avoid the thorns, Applejack plucked two roses and placed one on each grave.  
Suddenly, she felt the urge to look skyward. Doing so, she saw two familiar orbs streaking across the sky.

“G’night mom. G’night, dad.” Said Applejack, smiling.

The moment was of course then interrupted by Apple Bloom’s shouts of **“APPLEJACK! SUPPER!”**

**“AH HEAR YA, BE RIGHT THERE!”** shouted back Applejack. Then, after watching the shooting stars disappear into the night sky, the restored Earth pony turned and dashed to the kitchen door to take her place at the Apple Family dinner table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for Book 1. Next to the direct sequel.


	26. Book2 Ch.1 Anniversaire du Soleil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Without further ado. I present A Hairier Problem: Rise of the Furball by BlueBastard

Rise of the Furball Chapter 1: "Anniversaire du Soleil"

In the land of Equestria, there are many holidays, but none as important or as widely followed as the Anniversaire du Soleil. The birthday of the sun, nopony would dare fail to not celebrate the day Princess Celestia was issued forth into the world. While Celestia herself wasn’t too fond of the extra level of attention, her secret obsession for cake was indulged as bakers from all over Equestria sent their finest cakes to her, among everything else sent as a birthday present.

But this year would be a little different. In addition to the usual fanfare and secret cake gorging, entertainers from all over the country had banded together to put on a special, one-time event to be held in Canterlot for the beloved princess and family. Virtually overnight on the eve of the Anniversaire du Soleil, a carnival sprung up at the Canterlot Fairgrounds, a gigantic yellow-and-blue tent forming the centerpiece of the tarp-topped town. While the surrounding stalls functioned like a conventional marketplace, the actual show inside the biggest tent was the main draw. Word having been spread months before of the one-in-a-lifetime event, tickets had been sold out for weeks and the only way to get a seat was to try and beg a friend to give up their ticket.

Or, conversely, to have Princess Celestia herself invite the ponies closest to her and their families as guests in her private VIP box.

“Oh, this is going to _so fun_!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, bouncing up and down with excitement.

“I, for one, can’t believe all this was able to be put up overnight!” said Rarity, “I mean, to erect what amounts to a large city overnight _and_ to put on an all A-list performance without a single rehearsal? I know these ponies must be confident in their abilities, but even then a no-rehearsal show in front of the princesses!”

“I’m sure they’ve rehearsed all this almost non-stop” replied Twilight Sparkle, “just because it’s all so sudden here doesn’t mean it’s just a spur of the moment thing. Tickets for this event went on sale months ago - they must have been practicing at some location miles away from here. Maybe even in the desert area near Appleoosa?”

Rarity just rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s the logical answer, darling, but that also takes away from the fantastical nature of all this.”

Currently, the six friends from Ponyville, plus Spike, were making their way through the fantastic carnival, seeing the sights and getting all kinds of swag. At various other places in the carnival, the families of the Mane Six were also having their own adventures. They all would meet at the entrance to the great tent around showtime, where they would join the Princesses to watch the great show. Twilight was nervous, as she usually was around her mentor, but this time she had the extra problem of wings, which even months after getting used to were still prone to open up randomly. They did so now, accidentally hitting Applejack in the face.

“Ah! Sorry, Applejack, didn’t mean to do that,” apologized Equestria’s fourth princess as she folded her wings back.  
“It’s alright, Twi,” replied the orange mare, “Not everypony has to deal with managin’ somethin’ like becomin’ an Alicorn. Although from what you told us about that weird place on the other side of that mirror, gainin’ wings probably is easier than bein’ put into a completely separate body.”

“You can say _that_ again!” grumbled Spike, walking alongside the other ponies. “I got turned into a dog. _A dog!_ Having to pretend I couldn’t talk, ride on Twilight’s back in some kind of pouch, and generally being treated like some kind of freak when I did anything while standing on two legs…you have no idea what that was like!”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I think Applejack probably has the best idea out of all of us in terms of what it’s like to turn into a dog….” she snickered.

Applejack shot an evil look at her blue-hued counterpart. “Have Ah mentioned that you still look delicious enough to eat, Dash?” said the farmer, licking her lips hungrily. Rainbow in response seemed to have all her colors turn several shades lighter as she froze in place. Everypony else laughed, much to RD’s embarrassment.

“Not cool, Applejack,” chided Rainbow, trying to salvage her damaged pride. She was then brought into a side embrace by a laughing Applejack.

“Aw, come on Rainbow, it’s been almost a year since then, if there was any chance Ah was still a werewolf don’t ya think you or any of us would’ve noticed by now?”

“Yeah, I would have noticed before anypony else!” said Pinkie, popping out of a bucket full of little dolls made to resemble ponies in jester outfits. “I would have noticed your breath would have smelled really, really bad, like all you eat was meat and stuff!”

“Ugh, don’t remind me!” complained Princess Sparkle, looking slightly green in the face. “I still can’t believe I liked meat so much on the other side of the mirror! Seriously, how did you cope with such a thing during your, er, ‘rough patch’, so to speak, Applejack?”

“Ah really don’t know, to be honest. Probably was just the whole lycanthropy thing messin’ with mah taste buds. The worst part was how Ah could still taste the last meatburger Ah ate about two weeks after bein’ cured. It sickened me that Ah’d eaten so much dead animal and it was stuck inside mah mouth!”

“No kidding” agreed Twilight.

“Oh, er...we better be careful, I think it’s getting close to showtime. So...um, we should make our way to the big tent...if that’s okay with all of you, I mean.” said Fluttershy.

With the revelation that they might be late for the start of the show, the six ponies and one dragon took off to find the nearest entrance. It would never do to be a part of Princess Twilight’s peerage and be tardy to this event.

* * *

Within the tent was an area which could encompass a small stadium. Hundreds of ponies had already found their way inside to their seats while many more were still waiting to get their tickets punched. The upper classes complained about the lack of VIP options that would speed the process up, having to wait in line among less wealthy ‘commoner’ ponies, but the truth was that the expected audience was so great that the only VIP section that could be made was for the birthday mare herself.

“Oh, I do hope everypony will get a good view of the show!” said a worried Celestia, ever the benevolent figure to her subjects.

“Celly, I’m sure everypony can get a good view from their seat, the tickets were expensive enough to justify that much,” replied Luna, who was apparently more concerned about the security force stationed at key traffic locations than with the clowns moving among and mingling with the seated audience.

The rest of the Mane Six and their families were also comfortably seated in the Royal VIP box. Unlike how they would sit together during such events, this time they sat apart with their own respective families. The CMC, in contrast, were crowding together at the edge of the box with wide eyes, waiting for the show to start.

“Oh, yes, she’s just like Rainbow when she was young!” said Firefly to Flower Shower. While Scootaloo wasn’t directly related to one of the Mane Six, compared to her CMC counterparts being the direct younger siblings of Applejack and Rarity, Rainbow Dash had taken Scoots under her wing as a kind of sister figure and as such Celestia had insisted the parents of the orange filly come along with Rainbow’s own parents to the great performance.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Flower replied. “Slipstream and I used to worry that, because of our general absence in her life, we couldn’t guide her as much as proper parents should and so she’d end up with the wrong kind of ponies. It was a relief to learn about her making friends and forming that little club of theirs, but even more so when Rainbow offered to be a surrogate big sister figure to Scoot. Especially since there is the other problem of my little filly still struggling to fly….”

“Hey, she’s just a late bloomer, that’s all. Even though I’m to blame for my daughter’s speed addiction with my legacy as the fastest flyer to ever come out of Cloudsdale, I was probably two years older than Scootaloo when I finally managed to lift off under my own power, so I know what she must be going through.”

“No, it’s not that,” murmured Flower, looking away as if ashamed about what she was going to say next. Leaning in to whisper into Firefly’s ear, Flower intoned, “The _real_ reason why my poor daughter can’t do anything more than hover is-“

The blaring of trumpets and the dimming of lights signaled to the now-fully-packed audience that the show was going to begin. Flower made a _we’ll-talk-later_ face and turned to face the stage right as a heavily clothed stallion took the stage, his defining features hidden under a large top hat and large red coat. It quickly became clear that he was the ringmaster of the Cirque du Salle, the main sponsor and organizer of the event, as he began to speak.

“Mares and Stallions, Fillies and Colts, to all ponies of all ages, I welcome you all to tonight’s special exhibition of the finest performers Equestria has to offer, all in celebration of Princess Celestia’s birthday!”

On que, a spotlight swing over to illuminate the Royal VIP box to show a deeply blushing Celestia, with the entire audience erupted into cheers and claps for their regis. The ringmaster waited for the noise to die down before continuing.

“Now, without further ado, let’s get this show on the road!”

* * *

From the get-go, the show was a spectacular marvel of what ponies could do. There were entertainers from every kind of performance giving their all to please the princess. The rodeo like spectacle, starring the great Calamity Mane and Wild Bull Hikock. The Flying Graymares, the best earth pony trapeze artists, flew through the air as if they had been born as Pegasus ponies and left the audience awestruck. The afternoon began to blend into the night (with Luna having to temporarily leave to raise the moon, secretly admitting later that she was glad to do so during the period when the comedian Wordplay said some unintentionally insulting things about how much he disliked the night), with the crowd barely being able to get a break between cheering for the pony performers, Celestia included.

However, when the last act ended and the stage cleared, there was no indication the show was over. Or, at least until the ringleader shambled onto the stage. He appeared to have great difficulty moving in his clothes all of a sudden, stumbling about in a comedic way that some ponies couldn’t help but laugh at. Everypony else was confused. What was going on? Was the ringleader suddenly drunk? Why was he acting like such a fool in front of the princess of all ponies?

However, as soon as the ringleader finally managed to get to the center of the stage and was about to say something, another pony dressed in the exact same clothes ran into the open.

“ **Hey!** What do you think you are doing, impostor?!”

The crowd was shocked at this revelation. An impostor of the ringleader of the Cirque du Salle? Why in Equestria would anypony try to do that and manage to do it so horribly that they hadn’t even incapacitated the real ringleader? Those were the questions going through Luna’s head as she started to motion for security to handle the matter, but Celestia stopped her.

“It’s okay, Lu-Lu,” Celestia assured her sister in a hushed whisper, as to not alarm anypony else.

“What are you talking about?!” responded Luna angrily, in the same whisper volume. “He could be an assassin for all we know! A very, very bad one, admittedly, but one all the same!”

“Unless he’s here to kill us with laughter, I highly doubt that is the case.”

“l ask again, sister; what are you talking about!?”

“Look, do those two look like they actually aren’t doing something staged? It’s clearly all an act, my dear sister.” Celestia motioned to the stage, where the ringleader was arguing with his duplicate. Except the duplicate was not responding loud enough for anypony except presumably the ringleader himself to hear. Luna watched the actions closely, and had to admit both ponies were moving in a practiced manner. Extremely convincing that this wasn’t rehearsed, but to somepony trained to detect such movement to avoid actual would-be assassins, Luna knew better.

“Furthermore,” the sun princess added, “just look at Pinkie for your answer.” Following Celestia’s suggestion, Luna turned to see the pink pony. While every other pony in the VIP box had expressions mixed with shock and amusement, Pinkie’s face was downright serious, at least as serious as Pinkie got. With half-lidded eyes and a knowing grin, Luna immediately realized that whatever was going on down on the stage, Pinkie was watching intently as if waiting for something. That “something” soon occurred as the argument in front of thousands reached it’s climax.

“Okay, so you sold the turkey to the dressmaker, we’re finally clear on that mark, but for the last time I must ask you _why the hay are you trying to pretend you’re me?!”_

The pony seemed to whisper something to the ringleader.

“You want to ask them a question?”

The pony nodded.

“Well, what is it then? Out with it!”

Slowly, the mysterious stallion turned to face the VIP box, all eyes on him. Then, with a motion so fast that some Pegasus ponies would be jealous, he moved one hoof and appeared to rip off his clothes. But it was his ‘question’ that got everypony’s attention.

“Wa-hey hey! Who’s ready to laugh?”

The crowd erupted into a wild cheer, every single member of the audience reinvigorated from the drain of sitting through such a long performance. Gone was the mysterious fake ringleader from earlier, in his place stood a true legend of comedy. Ponyacci, the greatest clown in Equestrian history, stood before the masses. What truly made his presence special was that every single performer except him had been listed in the promotional material for this event, along with little expectation for him to have been on the ticket in the first place due to his semi-retirement some time ago due to health complications. But for him to make a surprise appearance as what had to be the last act, meant that all the stops were being pulled out and this event would truly end with a bang.

“Pinkie, I thought Ponyacci had stopped performing and had-“ started Twilight, who turned to discover her own local comedian had vanished.

“Where did she go?” asked Rarity, finally removing her fancy viewfinder to look at Twilight. The rest of the VIP box was of the same questioning opinion. While Pinkie’s tendency to randomly disappear and break conventional laws of nature at will was nothing new, it was a worry now since Ponyacci was revered by Pinkie as the avatar of comedy itself, and whatever she might do in his presence could be a national embarrassment.

“Wait, is that her?” asked Sweetie Belle, motioning to the stage. Indeed, now next to Ponyacci was a similarly dressed up mare, her true birth colors disguised by heavy makeup. But her big blue eyes and bushy mane were telltale signs of her involvement.

As it would turn out, Pinkie Pie - or as she was introduced to the crowd, “Scaramouche” - was Ponyacci’s assistant to help him with his own set of acts. Her biggest role, though, was being tied to a vertical wheel that spun clockwise. The crowd was stunned that for this next act, Ponyacci would not only be throwing knives at the spinning wheel, but be throwing them at his assistant blindfolded while doing acrobatic tricks.

The next few minutes would see the audience rapidly change from gasps to applause back to gasps as Ponyacci juggled knives while balancing on a giant bouncy ball, occasionally throwing a knife and barely missing Pinkie. For her part, Pinkie was simply smiling with confidence as what had to be razor sharp knives flew by, embedding themselves into the spinning board mere centimeters from her body. Then, while doing a one-legged hoofstand on the ball, Ponyacci threw one last knife with his tail, hitting the board right above Pinkie’s head to the point it disappeared in her mane. In response, the crowd roared with delight.

That wasn’t the end of Ponyacci’s performance, but while the rest of the crowd was enraptured by an amazing display of slight-of-hand hat tricks combined with multiple party cannons, the attention of three specific fillies was turned inward. To them, Ponyacci and Pinkie had already given them the next sure-fire idea for their cutie marks.

* * *

_One Week Later…_

**“APPLEJACK!”**

Upon hearing her name, the farm pony went in from the fields to the homestead where Granny Smith waited with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, Granny?”

“Ah know you might still be havin’ some, er, ‘issues’ what with that whole werewolf thing from a few months back, but Ah don’t remember you sayin’ you ever had a problem with silver or anythin’ made from it.”

“What are you talkin’ about, Granny?”

“Don’t you know? Ah thought you’d have some bad thing happen involvin’ silver durin that period of yours, after all isn’t silver supposed to be bad for werewolves?”

“Ah don’t see what that has to do with me, Granny.”

“Mah knives, mah silver kitchen knives! They’re missin!”

Applejack was surprised. “What, you think Ah took ‘em?”

“Well, now that Ah think about it, you probably weren’t the one who took ‘em since it was all of mah good cuttin’ knives that went missin’, not just the silver ones.”

“Granny…” flatly began Applejack, “why would Ah want to steal, or hide, your kitchen knives. Ah’ve never had a need for ‘em outside of cookin’, an’ Ah never take ‘em out of the kitchen.”

“You gotta point there, youngn’,” replied Granny, stroking her chin. “But if you didn’t take ‘em, and Ah know Big Mac wouldn’t touch ‘em, then who…?”

Applejack didn’t need an answer before she immediately ran off to the CMC’s clubhouse. She’d seen them bring in some lumber supplies left over from the remodeling of Carousel Boutique (the damage from the Cerberus attack had almost completely destroyed Rarity’s house), with a poorly drawn circle outline drawn on one big, flat piece of plywood. Apple Bloom was the only unaccounted Apple Family member who would even know where the knives had been, and a bunch of knives plus a generous amount of wood could only mean one thing. One very, very bad thing.

* * *

“Are you sure about this?” squeaked Sweetie Belle, who was slowly spinning like a sideways Frisbee.

“Come on, Sweetie Belle, it won’t be that bad!” answered Scoots, who was slowly walking on a treadmill.

“Yeah, Ah’m sure if we try knife throwin’ we’ll get our cutie marks for sure!” replied Apple Bloom, whose signature mane bow had been converted into a blindfold of sorts.

Right in front of the CMC clubhouse, the trio had constructed an extremely crude copy of the spinning wheel they’d seen Pinkie strapped to back at Ponyacci’s surprise act. Sweetie Belle, having taken the place of Pinkie, was firmly secured into the not-quite-round backing of the wheel. Scootaloo was powering the wheel on a treadmill (“borrowed” from the Apple’s cider making machine), although she needed an anchor point simply so she could push with her hind legs. Finally, Apple Bloom would be playing the role of Ponyacci, the “borrowed” knives all together in one giant box next to her.

“No, what I’m talking about is how we’re not doing this exactly like Ponyacci!” pointed out Sweetie Belle, “I mean, wasn’t he blindfolded while doing acrobatic tricks on a bouncy ball?”

“We need to build up to that with practice. That’s why Ah’m only gonna start out blindfolded, if all goes well we should be able to bring the ball in tomorrow when we’re ready.”

“Oh. Okay!” chirped the tiny unicorn.

Apple Bloom motioned for Scootaloo to give it her all, and she did. With all of her might, the Pegasus managed to make the wheel spin slightly faster (and wobblier), which did not improve Sweetie’s sudden feeling of nausea.

“Alright, here we go!” announced Apple Bloom, lowering the blindfold over her eyes and feeling around for a knife handle. She found one, proceeding to rear up in preparation of throwing the knife. However, just as she was starting the throw.…

**“GIRLS! WHAT IN TARNATION ARE YOU DOING?!”** screamed Applejack, barreling at top speed towards the CMC. The sudden billowing from her older sister startled the yellow filly, causing her to fumble the toss and let go far too early. The result was the knife did not fly towards the restrained Sweetie, but merely spun in the air before coming back down, not even going forward a few inches. However, as it came down, it’s razor edge came into contact with Apple Bloom and cut deep, leaving a nasty, bloody gash before it hit the ground.

**“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”** screamed the unfortunate filly, falling to her side as she clutched at the wound. She was soon surrounded by two orange ponies, the older earth and the younger Pegasus.

“Scootaloo, go get the first aid kit from the barn!” ordered Applejack, immediately tending to her younger sister’s wounds.  
“Bu-but I don’t know where it would be in the barn!” a scared Scootaloo answered back.

“Half-way inside, just below the hook where Ah keep mah ropes!”

With that, the Pegasus retrieved her scooter and zoomed away. Applejack looked away from the wounded Apple just to make sure Scoots was doing what she was told, before resuming to wound tending. She wanted to yell at her sister for being this dumb, for even thinking trying something this dangerous would be easy and her cutie mark. She wanted to yell at all three of the CMC for that, but scaring them would not mend this gash.

“It’s gonna be okay, Bloomie, it’s going to be okay!” soothed Applejack, elevating the bleeding foreleg as to cut the blood flow. Apple Bloom, still blindfolded, could only nod in response, her tears clearly an indicator of the pain. It was a very bad injury, possibly requiring stitches at Ponyville General, but until a bandage of some sort was applied Applejack knew the filly could not be safely moved.

Thankfully, Scootaloo quickly returned with the first aid kit. Rapidly, AJ took the kit and pulled out wrapped bandages and scissors. The leading end of the bandages looked gnarled and nasty, it would need to be cut off. Yet, in her hurry to patch up Apple Bloom, Applejack fumbled with the scissors and managed to cut herself in the process.

“Ow!” whimpered Applejack, waving her injured limb back and forth. Unlike Apple Bloom’s gash, the minor cut on Applejack’s own foreleg was extremely minor. That being said, it did bleed a little bit, and when the straw-maned apple farmer was shaking her lower foreleg, a single, tiny drop of her blood bled from the cut and was sent flying due to the motion of the foreleg. As fate would have it, that blood droplet would fall right into the bloodiest part of Apple Bloom’s injury, where it went deep enough to be drawn into the filly’s blood stream and all the way to the heart, to be pumped elsewhere.  
Nopony present noticed the blood drop exchange, it was too small and too fast an occurrence to notice. Applejack was too concerned with the bandages, and Scootaloo was too nervous about not being able to do anything to ease her friend’s pain other than taking Apple Bloom’s good foreleg hoof and soothing her. Applejack soon had the nasty bandage end cut off and the good bandage wrapped around the gash.

“Alright, we need to get her back to the house,” stated Applejack, trying to figure out how to do just that.

“Maybe we can put her into the wagon and I’ll haul her up with my scooter!” suggested Scootaloo. With little else to work with, Applejack had to agree and so Apple Bloom’s stretcher-on-wheels was hauled via Scooter-loo back to the house. Applejack was about to follow before Sweetie Belle finally spoke up.

“Um, Applejack, mind letting me down from here?” As it turned out, she’d ended up upside down on the wheel. “I’m feeling dizzy all of a sudden….”

AJ wasted no time in getting Sweetie Belle down, then bucking the entire contraption in order to break it just to ensure the CMC didn’t try that again. Taking the box of knives (with the bloody knife wrapped in bandages so it wouldn’t contaminate the other knives) with her so they wouldn’t be randomly lying around, the farmer and the unicorn took off to follow Scootaloo and her wounded passenger.

**Author's Note:**

In the immortal words of Heath Ledger's Joker;

"And here...we...go."


	27. Book2 Ch.2 Over the Line

Rise of the Furball Chapter 2 : "Over the Line"

  


“They were trying to **WHAT**?!” shouted the confused doctor.

“Uh-huh. Ah bet they got the idea from that big ‘ol performance that Princess Celestia invited us all to some weeks ago,” Applejack replied, her facial state emoting a combination of irritation and concern.

It had been chaotic when Big Mac saw Scootaloo pulling the wounded Apple Bloom with her scooter. Acting with agility that his large body implied didn’t exist, the stallion almost trampled Scootaloo as he immediately transferred his youngest sister into a larger hay cart. He was already off towards Ponyville General by the time Applejack and Sweetie caught up, and when those two plus Granny and Scootaloo reached the hospital they found the filly had been taken into the E.R. while Big Mac could do nothing but sit in the lobby and wait. For what seemed like forever, they all had waited in the lobby until a doctor finally came out and asked to see Applejack. He wanted to know what had happened, so Applejack explained what she saw and that she figured they were trying to replicate that knife throwing act from Ponyacci’s surprise finale.

“Please tell me this isn’t a regular occurrence with her.”

Applejack just rolled her eyes. “To be honest, it’s what she and her friends do all the time as they keep tryin' to force their cutie marks to appear. However, somehow they’ve always managed to escape serious bodily harm…at least, until today.” The farmer then went into full-concern mode and asked “Doc, we gotta know; how bad is it?”

Oddly, he chuckled. “You all can relax, I’m sure the amount of blood that was coming out must have given quite a scare, but it’s surprisingly not as deep as the incision would indicate.” He paused to let Apple Bloom’s friends and family take a big sigh of relief, then continued. “She’ll need some stitches, of course, but they’ll be sewn with a new organic thread that will simply dissolve off once the incision is fully healed. Judging from the state of the wound, I’d say it will heal up in a week’s time, and although there will be a scar her fur should grow back and cover it right up.”

“Well, that’s good to hear,” said a thankful Applejack, even though she was suddenly having flashbacks to the one night when Sable Loam had driven his fangs deep into her neck. She shuddered at the recalled memory.

“Are you alright, miss?” inquired the doctor.

“Wha? Oh, yeah, Ah’m fine. But what about Apple Bloom? How is she takin’ all this?”

The doctor’s tone became slightly more serious. “Unfortunately, Miss. Bloom was not as open to the idea of stitches and became rather uncooperative, so we had to get some anesthesia and put her to sleep. It was a small amount, so she’ll be back up and moving around in no time.”

At that point, two nurses wheeled out a groggy Apple Bloom in a wheelchair. Her wounded foreleg looked pretty bad, with a good little margin around the cut having had the fur cut away to make the stitching easier, but in return leaving a giant pink, fleshy rectangle visible to the world that had a red line drawn down the middle and criss-crossed by black lines.

“Hey…everypony….” said Apple Bloom, almost drunkenly. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle instantly jumped up and nearly tackled the poor filly had they not suddenly been stopped by the doctor’s telekinesis.

“There is something I do need to mention, however. Even though the wound may heal up in a week’s time, I would highly recommend that she refrain from putting pressure on it for a week after the cut disappears, in order to ensure it heals properly.”

“Wait, are you sayin’ Ah can’t walk on mah own four legs no more for some time?” a now-suddenly-awake Apple Bloom asked. “How am Ah supposed to get around the farm, or get to school, if Ah can’t even walk on mah legs?”

“Well, there is one way to circumvent that,” the doctor said soberly, though for a second, Applejack thought she caught a flash of whimsy in the healer’s eyes.

* * *

_Clop clop clop_ CLACK _!_

_Clop clop clop_ CLACK _!_

“What on earth is that annoying noise?!” whined Diamond Tiara. “How am I supposed to enjoy this milkshake with that racket?!”

“You wanna check it out?” replied Silver Spoon.

“ _Sigh...._ Might as well….”

Temporarily leaving their milkshakes on the table, Tiara and Spoon walked over to the side of the malt shop to investigate.   
What they saw made the pink pony grin evilly.

Walking on the other side was the Apple Family and the CMC, the latter of whom DT still held extreme animosity for as their formation had ruined her cuticerena. But it was Apple Bloom that drew the filly’s eye. For whatever reason, one of her forelegs was bandaged up and rigged into some kind of apparatus with several plastic pegs sticking out of the bottom. The clacking noise was this device hitting the ground.

“What do you think happened to her?” asked Silver Spoon, trying to hide the fact she was actually concerned about the answer for she knew DT wouldn’t care if she couldn’t take advantage of it somehow.

“Who cares? I know how we can still humiliate her with it tomorrow,” replied Tiara, on the verge of cackling.

Wordlessly, the two fillies turned to finish their shakes, Diamond already coming up with plans to ruin Apple Bloom’s life.  
Meanwhile, the oblivious group just kept on walking. It was starting to get late, so the Apples would escort Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle home before returning to the farm for supper. At least until they passed Sugarcube Corner, upon which a pink form burst out of the top window and crashed into the ground.

“Ohmigosh, what happened?!” inquired a concerned Pinkie, standing as if she hadn't just fallen two stories into a rock road in such a way that any other pony would have broken several bones upon impact.

“Well, you’re partially to blame, actually, Pinkie….” said Applejack.

**“WHAT?!”** shouted Pinkie, “How could you even _think_ I would have anything to do that would cause physical harm to another pony? I mean, sure there was the one time when I was babysitting the Cake twins and they were driving me so crazy I wanted to shove them in the oven and make baby cupcakes but I-“

“Pinkie! You didn’t actually _do_ anything, at least not directly. What these three were tryin’ to do was replicate that knife-throwin’ trick you and Ponyacci did back at the circus.”

“Wait, Sweetie can use magic?”

Sweetie was confused. “Uh, no, I can’t. At least, not yet I can’t. How does that have anything to do with what Ponyacci did, though? I saw him, we _all_ saw him, throw those knives perfectly right at you!”

Pinkie remained silent as she just looked down at Sweetie as if she’d just said something crazy, like “Set phasers to hug” or somesuch. Then Pinkie realized why everypony was so confused.

“Oh, sorry! You guys wouldn’t have known, but the whole knife trick thing was an illusion. Those weren’t _real_ knives Ponyacci was throwing, they were actually magical constructs meant to look like real knives. I think Trixie made them, if I recall correctly.”

That surprised Applejack even more. “What? Trixie Lulamoon was there? Ah would have thought somepony with her ego would have demanded a performance, but she wasn’t even on the ticket!”

“That’s because she wasn’t performing. She was the performance coordinator! Sure, she can put on a decent magic act, but that’s namely because her magic isn’t as good as Twilight’s. What she _does_ know is how to plan out performances. Twilight herself said she recommended Trixie for the position.”

“Really? After Trixie had come to town and nearly destroyed it?”

“Yeah, how she and Twilight became friends after that episode, I don’t know, but that’s besides the point. What _is_ the point is that the knives weren’t real nor sharp. Trixie had also enchanted them such that when Ponyacci threw them, it didn’t matter where they _actually_ would hit, they would slightly slow down in flight such that they appeared to be expertly thrown to miss me by super-duper-tiny amounts.”

“So what you’re sayin’ is that the whole knife throwin’ thing was faked?”

“Yep! All Ponyacci did was throw the knives my way, the blindfold even had little slits in them such that he could still see through it. He’s talented, but he’d never done knife throwing before. I mean, really; _actually_ trying to do the act legitimately? With zero experience? You’d have to be a few cookies short of a baker’s dozen to think that was a good idea!”   
She was oblivious to the nervous looks exchanged between the fillies. The Apples, however, weren’t.

“Well, Ah guess some ponies will know better next time, eh?” rhetorically asked Granny, glancing down at the three blushing crusaders. “Anyway, we better get these youngins home, it’s gettin’ late.”

“Alrighty!” chirped Pinkie, bidding her friends farewell before turning and heading back into the confectionary. Just in time, too.

“ **AAAAAAH!** Pumpkin! Pound! Get out of the oven this instant!”

* * *

It was promising to be a good day as the school bell rang. Cheerilee was busy at her desk, doing some final organization of her lesson plan. Despite the one-room nature of the school (two counting the basement), Cheerilee only taught the morning classes. Another teacher, Autumn Crisp, handled the upper level classes for the teenage ponies in the evening.

The mulberry-hued teacher sighed. While she loved being a teacher and the pay was actually higher than the national average, the catch was a lack of vacation days as she and Crisp were the _only_ ponies with the credentials for teaching kids in town. And although she knew many of her students meant well, the constant headaches of the job were a thing she would be only too happy to take a break from.

“Good morning, Mrs. Cheerilee!” spoke a voice Cheerilee knew only too well. For whatever reason, Diamond Tiara and her PFF Silver Spoon were at school far earlier than usual. And far _happier_ about it, too, although it was obvious Spoon’s wide grin was a little forced.

“Oh! Um…good morning, girls!” said Cheerilee, putting on a smile of her own even if that wasn’t what she felt like doing. “You’re here awfully early, aren’t you?”

“Well, we were so eager to come and learn today that we just couldn’t stay away! _Especially_ when it’s our favorite teacher in class!”

_More like the_ only _teacher you’ve ever had,_ thought Cheerilee.

Thankfully, more students started to arrive and prompted DT and SS to break off the awkward conversation. Although she knew there had to be a reason for the two wealthiest kids in class wanting to be the first students in the classroom, Cheerilee couldn’t work out what the two were after. All she could do was shrug and go back to work, this time writing out the morning message on the chalkboard for all to read. Her attention was momentarily called elsewhere when she began to hear an unusual noise among the hoofsteps of incoming students. She looked over to find Apple Bloom walking in with some kind of support device on one of her forelegs.

“Oh! Apple Bloom, what happened?” inquired Cheerilee. While she, along with the majority of the town, had gotten used to the rather disproportionate results of the CMC’s antics, she couldn’t recall them having done anything that actually got them critically injured.

“Ah…accidently got cut with one of Granny’s knives.” Replied Apple Bloom, flatly. She immediately noted the stifled giggle from Public Enemy No.1; one Diamond Tiara, but didn’t feel like immediately starting trouble. The fact she was only going to be able to use one hoof today was bad enough.

“I…see. Well, I won’t ask you to go into details, but do you think you’ll be alright with that apparatus on?”

“Ah’ll be fine.” And with that, Apple Bloom moved to take her seat.

Outside of the uncomfortable beginning, the class went through without a hitch. Well, it did right up until the end when the students were packing up to go home. That was when it all went downhill. Apple Bloom was packing up her saddlebag, which wasn’t easy with only one hoof, and required help from Sweetie and Scootaloo.

“Wow, I didn’t think an injured foreleg could make even a workpony less than useless!” called out Diamond Tiara, a malicious grin on her face.

Apple Bloom just sighed. “Tiara, can you please not start this today? Ah really don’t want to-“

“Aww, what’s the matter, that busted leg take out all of your confidence?”

Scoots was next. “Wow, so now you’re picking on ponies who are injured? That’s a new low for you, especially considering how low you already were.”

The evil grin got wider. “Not as low as a flightless Pegasus such as you!”

Sweetie tried to defuse the situation. “Just ignore her girls, she’s just looking for-“

“Y’know, I wonder why you three don’t just call yourselves the ‘Cutie Mark Failures’, since you’re the only lame-os in the school who don’t have their cutie marks. In fact, I’m betting that injured foreleg was the direct result of one of your doomed attempts to get them, wasn’t it? Maybe you three should take that as a sign meaning perhaps you three don’t even HAVE special talen-“

**“ENOUGH!”** shouted Apple Bloom, slamming her hooves on the table. Suddenly, all eyes were on the confrontation taking place, including Cheerilee (who had been distracted by talking to Featherweight about his latest set of pictures for the _Foal Free Press_ ).

“Looks like I hit a nerve, didn’t I?” taunted Diamond Tiara.

“Ah’m willin’ to take a _lot_ from you…” seethed the yellow filly, raising her head to look DT in the eyes, “but Ah will _not_ tolerate somepony sayin’ me or mah friends don’t have special talents…when that somepony doesn’t have one herself!”

Tiara was not expecting this kind of resistance, but decided it wasn’t anything of concern. “How _dare_ you say such a thing, you country hick!”

“Now girls…” said Cheerilee, trying to intervene unsuccessfully.

“Oh, Ah dare, because Ah’ve come to realize that even though you have a cutie mark, you don’t know what your special talent is!”

“I know very well what my special talent is, blank flank!”

“Then what is it? Ah’m sure everypony wants to know now…”

Diamond Tiara opened her mouth to speak, then realized Apple Bloom was right. The tiara on her flank should mean she had a special talent, but for the life of her there was no way she could actually explain what it is.

“Well, erm…my special talent is _being important_!” she blurted out, trying to save face. Unfortunately, it was clear nobody bought it, even Silver Spoon looked incredulously at her friend as if not believing she’d just said those words. DT continued regardless. “At the very least I’m more important than you!” she gestured to Apple Bloom, dramatically.

“Ah think your father would say otherwise,” smugly replied the bow-wearing Apple.

“What does my father have to do with this?!” stammered a shocked Tiara. This was not how she’d planned things to go. She should have been in control and Apple Bloom reduced to tears. And yet somehow, the young apple farmer instead had some sort of advantage.

At the same time, all those not involved directly in this confrontation looked nervously all around, especially Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. This wasn’t like the Apple Bloom they knew so well. Normally, she would have just stood her ground against the insults, but now that the mighty Diamond Tiara was losing ground, the cute, bow wearing filly suddenly became a lot scarier.

“Everything. You say Ah’m not as important as you? Well then, tell me how to make Zap Apple jam.”

“What does _that_ have to do with this?!” questioned Diamond again. She didn’t understand where her former target was going, but it wasn’t looking pretty.

“Oh, of course, Ah should have known better than to expect you to remember what mah granny said back durin’ Family Appreciation Day. Especially the part how the only reason your family even got involved with sellin’ stuff is because of mah granny inventin’ Zap Apple Jam. And even today it remains one of your father’s best sellin’ products throughout the whole year!”

“So what? You’re still just a worthless blank flank toiling away on some useless farm!”

“Maybe so, but at least Ah help mah family stay afloat by workin’ the land! Even if Ah never get mah cutie mark, never know mah special talent, at least Ah’m not some bratty little wannabe princess who hasn’t worked a day in her life!”

That was it. The proverbial gauntlet had been thrown down. Apple Bloom, who had slowly walked around the desks to come face to face with her enemy, just breathed heavily and glared at Diamond. Conversely, the crowned filly had shrunk back from Apple Bloom out of complete fear. It would take months to try and regain the social standing this one argument had taken from her. But there was still one thing she could resort to using, the one thing that could save this situation.

“Maybe so, Apple Bloom, but at least my parents weren’t morons who froze themselves to death!”

The collective gasp silenced even the crickets. It also snapped Cheerilee out of the daze she’d entered when Apple Bloom started waling against Tiara.

“Now, girls, that’s enough!” she shouted, trying to regain control. But it was too late. Diamond had struck Apple Bloom’s hairtrigger.

“Don’t you _dare_ talk about mah parents like that, you sorry little spoiled bit-“

* * *

“Ah’m awful sorry for what mah granddaughter said to yours, Mr. Rich. Ah just don’t know what got into her!”

“It’s not your fault, Mrs. Smith. My daughter probably started the whole thing and is just as guilty of what happened as Apple Bloom.”

Granny and Filthy Rich were standing outside the schoolhouse, having just finished talking to Cheerilee about the incident involving Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom. The two fillies in question had been escorted home by other family members; Apple Bloom by Big Mac and Diamond Tiara by her mother; Champagne Dreams.

“Your daughter…Ah’ll be honest, she doesn’t seem to have any interest in bein’ nice to anypony, really, especially not mah granddaughter.”

“I fear it’s my fault, really. She’s always been my little princess, nothing will change that, either, but she’s become spoiled and believes the wealth she’s in line to inherit already makes her the most important pony in town. The fact neither my wife nor I are usually around due to business probably doesn’t help that. However, I do believe her focus on your granddaughter is mostly out of jealousy.”

Granny was surprised. “Jealousy? Correct me if Ah’m wrong but your family lives rather luxuriously compared to how we Apples don’t have many extraneous things.”

“True, but you Apples have something Diamond Tiara will never be able to have no matter how much of my money she tries to throw at her problem: Applejack.”

“Do yah mean a big sister? Ah’m pretty sure they have some kinda program for that. Rainbow signed up so she could be Scootaloo’s foster big sister.”

“No, although having a surrogate older sister probably would be good for Tiara. What she wants is to be a part of the highest echelons in society, to be famous for being famous, and have exclusive connections. I can not tell you how she will rant about how Apple Bloom doesn’t deserve to have the things she does because she’s just an apple farmer, such as a close relationship to the Royal Family.”

“Have you considered making her do chores or somethin’? Puttin’ her to work might change her opinions, even if it isn’t that much you make her do.”

“That’s an idea to try…oh, is that the time? I really need to go, my family will need me for dinner.”

“Same here. Oh, do you still want that load of Apple Jam ready next week?”

  


“That would be lovely, Mrs. Smith.”   
And with that, the two business partners bid farewell and left for their homes, where two fillies waited and were deep in trouble.

* * *

Apple Bloom knew the only reason she wasn’t in nearly as much trouble as she should have been was because of her injury, although she was still grounded for a week. Despite having been patched up, it still hurt if pressure was put on it, which was going to make sleeping rather difficult. Just to be sure, she moved to touch it again. Yep, it still hurt…but not as much.

She raised an eyebrow at that. It was hurting something fierce just a few hours ago, but now it just felt really, really sore. Maybe the doctor was wrong about the time frame in how long it would take to heal up?

“Not like it matters…” mumbled Apple Bloom, nudging herself down into the bed covers and to sleep. She was grounded, she was injured, and she was no closer to her cutie mark. But she was alive.

But best of all, she’d still made Diamond Tiara look like a fool in front of the entire class, which had been totally worth being grounded, and still brought a smile to the young filly’s face.

On the other side of town, a _very_ irate Diamond Tiara pouted in her room, having also been confined to quarters for seven days.

“This is all that stupid farmer’s fault! Making me look bad in front of everypony…I will not, _can not_ accept being outdone by a blank flank! I’ll show her once and for all when I get the chance. That injury of hers will be _nothing_ when I’m through with her.” Her oft-declared promise of revenge made, she promptly tucked herself in her double-size bed and began to dream of various ways she’d grow up as a member of the Canterlot Elite.

* * *

At the same time, deep within the confines of the Everfree Forest, where Celestia had once created a giant crater in her failed bid to end the curse of Lycanthropy, something stirred. At the bottom of the crater, where the remains of a shattered tombstone remained, the silence was interrupted. Like a whisper covered by the breath of a pony exhaling, _something_ started to leak out of the ground. As the strange, wispy emissions from the ground continued to emerge, they also coalesced into a larger, single body. Eventually, the growing, gaseous body started to grow what looked like limbs. A pair of forelegs and hindlegs emerged, planting themselves onto the ground. A head soon emerged afterwards, the curve of its muzzle suggesting the gender of the pony shape was female. An image soon appeared on the pony’s flank – a faded picture of a sunrise between two peaks – and her eyes opened to reveal bright pink irises. Simply from the colors, one would think of a pretty, spring day.

But closer examination would reveal the true nature of this pony poltergeist. Her coat and mane clearly looked harrier and more unkempt than one would expect of a mare. Her ears looked far straighter than pony ears had any right to be. Her teeth included sharpened canines that implied a diet of meat. Finally, where her legs ended, there were not hooves but well defined paws.

The pony looked herself over, a look of surprise on her face. ”Huh, so much for ‘rest in peace’ I guess.” It said. She then noted the shattered tombstone, knowing instantly who it had been for and who had placed it. Worse still, the area around the site showed signs of a battle having taken place and hastily covered up, yet the most painful details remained. An almost invisible piece of bloodied fur colored green caught in the tree just behind the tombstone, the terrain still bearing the scars of two predators having fought tooth and claw, and the whispers of a specific individual still clinging to the wind.

Sable Loam was dead. He’d been as such for a while, now, although the pony could not be sure the exact length of time. But his absence left a hole in her non-existent heart, a pain she’d never imagined could be felt after being completely disintegrated by a really pissed off pony princess. And yet… here she was, at least in the spiritual sense if not physical. She knew not how this had come to be, her return to the physical realm, but the why was obvious. With little time to waste she darted off into the night.


	28. Book2 Ch.3 The Wilds of Whitetail

Rise of the Furball Chapter 3: “The Wilds of Whitetail”

Sandalwood looked at the massive mountain of paperwork lying in front of her and sighed. It was tax season again and this year Princess Luna had made some major changes to several parts of the tax code. It had been stressful enough in convincing Lotus and Aloe to allow the continuation of her aromatherapy though having the spa foot the bill for the various perfumes and scents needed. While the profit margins of Sandalwood’s aromatherapy had been as large as ever, a recent production shortage of several basic scents had driven prices up and had become somewhat hard to acquire, so hard that even with the spa proprietors agreeing to continue sponsoring the aromatherapy the number of sessions had to be reduced and Sandalwood’s salary taken in order to help pay for the materials. Sure, she could always ask her parents for money, they were practically rolling in it after the massive success her father’s debut book had been (although public endorsement from now-Princess Twilight Sparkle probably helped), but she wasn’t a filly anymore and wanted to prove she could handle these rough periods. Plus, it was Saturday, and considering how Derpy Hooves the mailmare always got Saturday and Sunday mixed up it was likely her parents wouldn’t get the letter until Monday.

Of course, right now just trying to balance everything was close to her limit, which wasn’t good since technically she only owned half of the house. The other half belonged to one Lyra Heartstrings, who while Sandalwood could get along with very well, had suspiciously been dodging any inquires towards how she made any money. Sure, she could play the harp like nobody’s business, but there really wasn’t any market for harp players in town. Canterlot on the other hand probably always could use them, but considering Lyra’s obsessions with the mythical creatures known as “humans” the elite would have her ridden out on a rail before she could even audition for a symphony.

“I’m home!” said the mint unicorn in question, her harp case slung over her back. She seemed especially cheery, more so than usual, and contrasted greatly with the glum look on Sandalwood’s face. “Is something wrong, Sandy?”

“No, no, nothing’s wrong, just trying to cope with doing the taxes while being the only working resident of this house. Oh, and because of supply issues my job has taken a hit since several of my basic aroma materials are now more expensive and harder to acquire. Meanwhile, _you’re_ off doing whatever it is that you do that isn’t earning money-“

“You mean like having been on a job search for two months that just ended today because I got one?”

Sandalwood made like she was going to say something, then thought better of it. Lyra just laughed.

“Sandy, I told you before about this. Since it’s not exactly a stable source of income as a freelance harpist, I got a job at Ponyville Instrument Sales and Service to work on fixing string instruments, with tomorrow being my first day of work. This is my house, too, so don’t think I’m trying to put all the support work on your back.”

“Yeah…sorry for jumping to conclusions,” apologized the tan mare. “It’s just that things at the spa have been getting sort of difficult, what with the-“

“I heard,” Lyra interjected. “However, I may have a solution, if only temporary.”

Sandalwood’s eyes widened. “You mean cheaper basic scents?”

“Possibly, depending on what you need. Is it the actual smell you need, or is it some effect the scents have that is more important?”

“I’ll try to explain this in the simplest way that I can…what I need are several basic essential oils, specifically lemon and rhyming thyme oils for their antidepressant effect, some cinnamon-scent incense to provide a moderate setting base for the overall feeling, laughing grass extract lotion for situations where the customer needs help relaxing, and no-aroma vaporizer to assist in the delivery of the smells into the client’s olfactory senses. I can not _tell_ you how hard it is to find vaporizers these days that don’t have a backing scent.”

Lyra took a few moments to try and process the jargon uttered by her flatmate. Failing, she just shook her head and smiled.  
“Oh…kay! I’m just going to say I didn’t understand _any_ of that and suggest you go talk to Zecora the next time she’s in town, or just visit her hut in the Everfree if you really need that stuff for less.”

The earth pony pondered that. “Yeah, she is a good alchemist, and if there’s anypony in town who would know of any useable substitutes for my needs it would be her. Although the idea of having to go deep into the Everfree doesn’t exactly sound safe, how Rarity and the others manage to do it all the time is beyond me.”

“Actually, Zecora put up some enchanted totem wards along the path that supposedly protect the path from any dangerous creatures, along with serving as guide marks to avoid the poison joke patches. I can go with you after dinner, if you’d like, since I can do a basic light spell to help see in the dark.”

“Thanks, Lyra. Now, help me with these taxes.”

With a heavy sigh, the unicorn had no other choice but to put her things down and walk over to Sandalwood to assist in the war against numbers.

* * *

At the same time, Cheerilee and Autumn Crisp had gathered their classes on a brisk weekend afternoon for a highly unusual event. While the Ponyville education system normally didn’t fund field trips in general, this was an exception. The rare Screaming Mynah, a bird of mythical beauty that was seen only a few times every decade, had been confirmed through various sources to be making a nest in the Whitetail Woods. So, with a rare occasion for the students to see something beyond the borders of the small town, all the kids in school had been dragged away from their weekend plans so they could hike around to stare at birds.

“This is going to be so _boring!”_ Scootaloo grumbled. “So it doesn’t like to come around here a lot, big deal. Phoenixes are even rarer in that they don’t naturally come around here period and I don’t remember this big a deal being made about Philomena at any time Princess Celestia brings her to visit Ponyville!”

“I don’t know, maybe it could be fun!” Sweetie optimistically suggested. “Plus, we could even get our cutie marks in Obscure Bird Watching!”

Apple Bloom nickered. “Honestly, Ah’d rather prefer to have a cutie mark about cheese makin’ than bird watchin’, since at least cheese makin’ involves activity and not starin’ at birds all day.”

“At least you don’t need to wear that walking device thingy anymore, right?” squeaked the tiny unicorn Crusader. Indeed, against everypony’s expectations, it had only taken a few days for Apple Bloom’s stitch to completely heal up and grow over with fur, as if it had never happened.

“It’s a good thing Ah don’t need it anymore, too. That little clacking noise it made? Ah was probably gonna throw it out mah bedroom window it was getting’ so annoy-“

Suddenly, she perked her ears up and snapped her head around to look right at Diamond Tiara, who was behind the CMC. Although both Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were ordered by both their families to stay as far apart as possible, with the adult chaperones of the trip (mostly the parents of attending students) aware of this, it was clear from the shock on DT’s face that Apple Bloom happened to look straight at her in the middle of some rude comment, before the brat turned away in order to save face and pretend it never happened.

“Ah swear, Ah’m gonna _git_ that no-good pony someday…” muttered Apple Bloom.

“Er, you okay?” Scootaloo and Sweetie simultaneously asked; both could have sworn their earth pony friend had just growled.

“Wha? Yeah, Ah’m fine. But for some reason Ah thought Ah could hear Tiara tryin’ to make fun of me again.”

“Seriously, Apple Bloom, just let that go. She’s not worth the effort, even if she doesn’t seem to get off our backs about us being blank flanks,” said Scootaloo.

“Yeah!” chimed in Sweetie. “Plus, how could you have even heard her? I can’t tell what the two ponies in front of me are saying and I’m just behind them!”

“Ah…Ah don’t know, honestly. Maybe it were her voice?”

“Point” said Scootaloo. “We all could pick that voice from a crowd of millions by now.”

And so the educational nature walk continued, much to the chagrin of the students. To the credit of Cheerilee and Crisp, they did their best to make it all interesting, but it was a struggle against young minds who wanted to play hoofball more than learn about why this tree was not the same as that one, etc.

Eventually, and mercifully, the sun began to set just as the group reached the campsite. With speed that the tired assemblage of hikers wouldn’t appear capable of, a small village of tents popped up instantly in the clearing as kids went off to play hoofball or socialize, and adults could take a break from watching over the kids.

However, in one particular tent, the CMC were still getting their beds ready. The only three-pony group of the entire expedition, the trio of fillies was rather crowded, but they didn’t mind. After all, it was all for one and one for all, or at least that’s what they’d read in some book at some point during their never ending quest for their elusive cutie marks. However, for one particular filly, that did not extend to sharing the contents of her sleeping bag container.

“C’mon, Scoot, we gotta lay out your sleepin’ bag so we can figure out how to fit everythin’ in here,” Apple Bloom said, trying not to laugh as she knew exactly what was going on.

“Uh, no, I don’t need to get it out. I don’t even know why I brought it, actually, I can just sleep on the ground just fine!” the flustered filly replied. Unfortunately for Scoot, Sweetie Belle had snuck behind her and in one fell swoop undid the restraining cord on the sleeping bag holder. Instantly, the pegasus’s bag shot out into the middle of the tent due to how poorly packed it had been, and so was exposed the reason for Scootaloo’s furious blush that had appeared just as fast. Her sleeping bag, along with a matching pillow, was a light pink color with little purple hearts all over them.

“Ah have to admit, Ah wasn’t expectin’ _that_ to come out!” snickered Apple Bloom. “Seriously, why do you even have that?!”

“It…it was something my parents got me a long time ago…before we moved to Ponyville and I decided I was going to be cool as Rainbow Dash. I accidently grabbed it instead of the Iron Mare one I meant to bring, which stinks because it’s _really cool_ and not at all girly like this one.”

“Hey, if it will make you feel better, we can trade sleepin’ bags,” Apple Bloom suggested, gesturing to her own bag which was already set up. Unlike the massively girly style of Scootaloo’s, the young farmer’s bag was simply colored candy red on the outside, with an inside and pillow appearing a warm golden yellow.

“Yeah, or you can take mine!” chimed in Sweetie Belle, totally oblivious to the reactions of her friends upon that suggestion. The cause of the revulsion was that while Scootaloo’s bag was slightly embarrassing, Sweetie Belle had developed some kind of fanaticism with Sapphire Shores that was reflected in her choice of sleeping arrangement. The sleeping bag was covered with lithographed images of the pony pop star along with the main colors of fabric being chosen to match. In all honesty it was outlandishly garish and Scootaloo would sooner be caught dead in the bag she’d actually brought than even consider sleeping under images of Sapphire Shores.

“Er, thanks Sweetie, but I think I’ll swap with Apple Bloom.”

* * *

Deep in the Everfree, the old hollowed-out husk of a tree glowed with light. Surrounding it were various hanging bottles of different shapes and colors, while over what appeared to be a doorframe was a tribal mask of some sort. It was enough to make any pony scared, especially after having to traverse a path through the Everfree in near-darkness.

“U-uh, yeah, that’s Zecora’s hut,” Lyra stammered, horn aglow with a light spell.

“You okay, girl?” Sandalwood inquired, her back bearing her saddlebags which were full of various oils and scented materials that, hopefully, Zecora could duplicate.

“I-I’m f-f-fine! Just…j-just never been o-out here before. In the dark. Ever.”

“Uh-huh. C’mon, we’ll be okay inside.” Sandalwood trotted forward as if nothing was bothering her.

“H-how are you n-not freaking o-out?”

The earth pony rolled her eyes. “Lyra, you and I, along with a few other ponies and a minotaur, drove the first two long-distance motor vehicles in Equestria straight into an oncoming werewolf. And I don’t remember seeing you this scared when we were all in the open in front of said werewolf. Heck, that Sable Loam or whatever his name was? I’d honestly walk up to Nightmare Moon and punch her in the face sooner than have to even look at him again. Or, rather, smell him, since he clearly didn’t know the first thing about hygiene!” That got a laugh out of Lyra, which helped her relax a little. She followed Sandalwood up to the door, where Sandy knocked. “Hello, anybody home?”

“Just a minute!” said a voice from inside, and moments later a lock could be heard being undone, whereupon the door opened and there before the ponies stood the zebra alchemist they’d come to find.

“Oh, hello, please come inside. I apologize for it being a little messy in here but I normally don’t expect visitors at this hour, especially not during the middle of the weekend.” Zecora beckoned for the duo to enter, which they did. The inside of the hut looked more or less exactly what the outside implied. It was a hollowed out tree, with racks and shelves full of potions and ingredients lining most of the walls. Along the ceiling hung ropes to which were attached even more potions, which reflected rather pretty colors in the candlelight. There was a bubbling cauldron in the middle of the one-room hut as some sort of centerpiece, which set the tone for the entire residence as being mostly dedicated to Zecora’s profession. There was little in the way of personal decoration outside of what appeared to be more masks of the design aesthetic natural to Zecora’s homeland and a hammock bed tucked away in a corner.

“Very…cozy place you have here!” commented Lyra, slowly warming up to the odd yet inviting atmosphere. She then noticed the cauldron was bubbling profusely. “Hey, what kind of potion do you have brewing?”

“That’s not a potion, it’s just some soup I had going for dinner” answered the Zebra, who suddenly had a bowl in her hoof and started to ladle out some of her concoction into it. It appeared to have the consistency of bog slime, which made Lyra cringe and back up slightly.

“Oh, don’t you _dare_ try that, Miss ‘I wanted to try a double bacon cheeseburger because I felt like it’!” chided Sandalwood, trying not to remember the horrid monstrosity that Lyra had secretly been keeping in the fridge.

Zecora wasn’t sure what to make of the sudden comparison of her traditional Zebrabwean Lentil and Herb Stew to some greasy consumable from The Meatery, since as far as she was concerned her mother’s stew recipe was still as delicious as it always had been. It sort of sounded like an insult, but at the same time it seemed more directed at the unicorn instead of the meal. “Um, am I missing something here?”

"Uh...you're not rhyming," Lyra suddenly noticed, ignoring the earth pony in turning to the zebra. "You're always rhyming. Is something wrong?"

Zecora's face flushed in embarrassment, a rare sight. "I, uh, walked into some poison joke yesterday," she admitted sheepishly. "Now I can't rhyme. I was about to make some of the antidote for myself, just before you two arrived. So what can I do for you?"

“Oh, um, yes, you see my friend Sandalwood here is an aromatherapist, but recently-“

Sandalwood motioned for Lyra to stop. “Thanks, Lyra, but I think I can explain my own problems.” Having noticed Zecora’s ears perk up slightly upon the mention of aromatherapy as her profession, the earth pony undid the clasp on her saddlebags and pulled out some of the vials within. “Anyway, due to recent issues with my supplier, several of my most important essential oils and materials have become both more expensive and harder to find. Lyra said I should come to you to see if you could provide what I need in a more efficient manner.”

Putting her spoon down, Zecora took one of the vials in Sandalwood’s hooves and opened it, smelling the small amount of fluid still inside.

"Laughing Grass extract? Unusual, but certainly not out of my expertise. I sense you need more than just that, however, so if you could explain just what you need in as much detail as possible, I can try to see what I can do for you."

The next ten minutes saw Sandalwood going through a very detailed explanation of every single oil, aroma, and other needed materials for aromatherapy in such detail it got to the point Lyra became convinced it was some other language entirely her flatmate was speaking. Zecora, on the other hand, seemed to understand every word Sandalwood said perfectly, nodding her head occasionally or raising an eyebrow to what she thought was something unexpected.

“So, yeah, that’s everything I need. I understand if a lot of that sounded too difficult, but if you can even make just one of those I will be more than willing to pay you for the supply,” panted Sandalwood, evidently having not taken enough breaths during her spoken laundry list of aromatherapy goodness.

"Quite the contrary, Miss Sandalwood. Many of those things of which you spoke of I can make for you easily, and those which are not of my skill set I probably can find an alternative I can make which will have the same effect."

“Oh!” said a surprised Sandalwood, relieved that this solution was more beneficial than she’d thought. “That’s fantastic!”

"However," continued Zecora, causing Sandalwood’s grin to fall somewhat, "In order for me to best help you in making these things, I will need more than just your word for what they do to ponies in your care. So, if it is not too much trouble, I would like to experience one of your aromatherapy sessions, time and materials permitting of course."

“Uh, yeah, that’s not too much trouble at all!” Sandalwood chirped happily, although really it was going to be a load of trouble. _Lotus and Aloe are not going to be happy about the Spa footing the bill for my stuff if I’m giving out free Aromatherapy,_ thought the now slightly panicking aromatherapist, _so here’s hoping Zecora somehow is on the V.I.P. list…_

* * *

Back at Whitetail Woods, the camp had split back into the two classes of Cheerilee and Autumn Crisp. While Crisp’s class went off to study nighttime fauna, Cheerilee was taking the chance to educate her captive audience about nighttime flora. She seemed so knowledgeable about the subject that some students wondered if her cutie mark was more related to flowers in the literal sense as opposed to the metaphorical sense she constantly explained it to be.

“Ugh. I thought we came out here to see some kind of rare bird, not stare at mushrooms and moss” complained Scootaloo, deciding mushrooms and other fungi were in fact not as awesome as the bats the other class must have been seeing.

Sweetie Belle was, as always, of the more upbeat opinion. “I don’t know, the night lilies look cool with how they light up, don’t they?”

Apple Bloom, who also was normally more positively opinionated, was uncharacteristically dour in her comment; “Yeah, sure, I guess, but…ahh come on…” She appeared to be slightly drowsy, with one hoof scratching her other foreleg perpetually.

“You okay?” asked the Pegasus, attention now drawn to the needs of her friend. Sweetie Belle, in turn, walked over to her earthly counterpart, who promptly leaned on Sweetie and started scratching harder.

“Ah’m not sure…Ah’ve got this itch all over me that won’t go away, and mah head is startin’ to hurt somethin’ fierce…”

“What’s going on over here?” Cheerilee suddenly asked as she approached the trio, who had not been paying much attention to their surroundings.

“Apple Bloom says she doesn’t feel well,” Sweetie said, motioning with a little side nod of her head to her yellow counterpart. Sure enough, Apple Bloom appeared to be genuinely brought down by something, maybe an allergy to a plant here in the woods but not at Sweet Apple Acres. Plus, Cheerilee was all too familiar with the CMC’s occasional attempt to get out of school by feigning sickness, which generally involved them feigning several fatal afflictions at once, but never something that would require subtlety like a mere headache.

“Well, Apple Bloom, if you’re really feeling that bad, then you can go back to your tent. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, you should go with her as well since you’re her tent mates,” the school mare ordered.

“Yes, ma’am!” the trio said, one less enthusiastically than the others. They paid no mind to the sea of jealous looks as they got to leave early, but Apple Bloom truly didn’t appear to be feeling well. She was half-stumbling all over the place, often needing one of her friends to keep her going the right direction and not hit something. This was extremely odd, since only a few hours ago she was as energetic as anypony.

“Ugh, is it just me or did it just get hotter all of a sudden?” asked Apple Bloom in a half-daze.

“Uh, no, temperature doesn’t feel like it changed. If anything, it should be cooler since there isn’t a cloud in the sky to keep heat in as in the greenhouse effect,” Scootaloo explained.

“When did you become such an expert in weather phenomen…penomeno…things?” inquired Sweetie Belle.

“Uh, hello? Pegasus?” replied the orange filly, flaring her wings for emphasis. “I may not be able to fly, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a special affinity for the weather like everpony else who has wings. Plus, my parents do train weather teams so I tend to overhear that kind of stuff whenever they do get to be home.”

“Ohhhh…okay!”

Now having reached the tent, the trio zipped themselves inside and bunkered down. However, almost immediately Apple Bloom went over and opened the back window of the tent, giving a perfect view of the night sky. The full moon shone down into the tent, bathing the little Apple in a column of moonlight.

“Apple Bloom, can we please zip that up?” asked Scootaloo, shielding her eyes. “It’s going to make it hard to sleep for me and probably Sweetie, but most certainly…Hey! Are you even paying attention?”

But Apple Bloom did not respond. In fact, she just stared up at the full moon as if in a trance. Sweetie, having taken notice, waved her hoof in front of the yellow filly’s face but got no reaction.

“This…this could be bad…” said Sweetie, although both unicorn and Pegasus didn’t understand what was going on. At least not until the earth filly suddenly tensed up and fell to the ground on her side.

“It…it burns!” gasped Apple Bloom, clearly trying to hold back from screaming about something but beginning to writhe around in what had to be excruciating pain. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle tried to comfort their friend, but a sudden thrash of the downed filly sent Scootaloo leaping over to Sweetie Belle. What they bore witness too was a horror that no mortal eyes should have seen, made only worse by it being their friend who was suffering.

With tears in her eyes and biting down hard on her lip, Apple Bloom began to change. What had originally started out as just some resistant itch that wouldn’t go away and a bad headache had now turned into a full-on sensation that every single part of her body was at the heart of a raging wildfire. While it only lasted a minute or two, to the three fillies in the tent it lasted for ages. Mercifully, at least at first, the pain seemed to subside and Apple Bloom was able to at least sit upright on her haunches.

“A-Apple Bloom?” asked a scared Sweetie, “Are y-you alright?”

“Ah…Ah don’t kn-oh…oh no no **NO** NO _!_ “ Apple Bloom shouted as her tone went from confusion to horror as she felt a weird sensation at the base of her hooves. Looking down at them, she found little fleshy nubs starting to pop out of her hooves. She didn’t need to wait for the rest of the changes to know _exactly_ what she was becoming, but as if in response to her revelation the strange feeling suddenly erupted all over her body before her front hooves – now more or less paws at this stage – had even finished changing. When it hit her muzzle she had to clamp her eyes closed and try not to scream from whatever feeling she was going through. Unfortunately, she failed.

“MMMMMMMMMYYYYYNNN **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA** HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Wailed the poor filly through a muzzle now slightly longer and filled with slightly sharper teeth, before collapsing on the ground again and panting heavily, tears flowing from her eyes.

Needless to say, what had just happened to Apple Bloom would forever go down in the minds of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo as “the scariest s#!& they’d ever seen” even when compared to what would happen later as a result of Apple Bloom’s transformation. At least in the future, they would have some future knowledge of what a transformation was like.

But of more concern was the sound of approaching adults and student campers, having just heard the screaming. The two fully conscious Crusaders looked at each other, then Apple Bloom, then at each other again. They were alone, Apple Bloom had seemingly transformed into some kind of dog creature in an extremely painful manner, and there were other ponies approaching the tent rapidly. Even though they had no idea of the thing Apple Bloom had just become, it still looked like her somewhat, which in the minds of the fillies meant she must still _be_ Apple Bloom, and as her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders it was up to Scoot and Sweetie to protect her from the adults. Except as the two kept looking between each other and the semi-conscious form of Apple Bloom, they had no idea on how they were actually going to do that.

**Author's Note:**

The working title for this chapter was "Werewolves of Whitetail" to parody the song "Werewolves of London", but since there is really just ONE werewolf in the whole chapter, the change seemed appropriate.


	29. Book2 Ch.4 Two-Eyed, One-Bowed, Farming Yellow Apple Werewolf

Rise of the Furball Chapter 4: “Two-Eyed, One-Bowed, Farming Yellow Apple Werewolf”

As Cheerilee approached the tent where the CMC’s were supposed to have been sleeping, she could have sworn she’d heard a zipper being hurriedly closed up and some grunting, as if one of them was trying to lift something heavy.

“Girls, is everything alright in there?” she asked. Almost immediately the front door was partially unzipped and two heads popped out, one light gray and the other orange.

“Shhh! Mrs. Cheerilee, Apple Bloom’s asleep!” scolded Scootaloo in a half-whisper.

“Yeah, she conked out right when we got in the tent, she’s really tired and I’d hate to wake her up!” added Sweetie.

“Is she now?” asked the teacher suspiciously, inching closer. “Mind if I take a look inside?”

“Uh, sure, I guess?” replied Scoot, noticeably not very confident in her tone. After some force, though, Sweetie and Scootaloo got their heads out of the small zipper hole to allow their teacher to look inside. As Cheerilee did so, she saw a giant lump inside a heart-decorated sleeping bag, the occupant easily identifiable by the giant bow marking where its head was. Apparently, the CMC’s were telling the truth, much to Cheerilee’s surprise after those earlier noises.

“Is something wrong?” asked Sweetie.

“Uh..no, no, just making sure you three were okay. It’s just that we heard some screaming coming from over here and since you three were the only ponies in this area…”

The two awake Crusaders looked at each other nervously, sweat starting to appear out of trepidation. There was no possible way they could explain Apple Bloom’s pained screaming, but if Cheerilee got one look at the filly’s new form it was all over, although what would happen was beyond what the two fillies knew. It would take a miracle to get out of this one.

“MMMMMMMMYYYYYNNN **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA** HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

As if their need for a miracle had been silently heard by the powers above, a loud cry that sounded strangely similar to Apple Bloom echoed from the sky. Then, as Cheerilee pulled her head out to see, the source was none other than the Screaming Mynah that was soaring overhead. Everypony in camp (save for Apple Bloom) soon stood in the open to see the majestic bird. It’s deep, near-black feathers sparkled with a natural shine that complimented the yellow crest on its head. It was not clear what had awoken the bird, but after a few minutes of it circling the camp it made a line southward and landed somewhere in the trees.

“ _That’s_ the ‘Screaming Mynah’?” asked a stunned orange dodo.

“Oh, yes! I wasn’t expecting to see one at night, they’re normally daytime birds. However, this is great, since now we know where to go tomorrow to see it up close!” said Cheerilee, half-answering Scootaloo and rather disturbingly half-squeeing in delight.

“So…um…can we go to bed now?” asked a not-so-impressed Sweetie. She knew Rarity had made some hat that looked the exact same as the Screaming Mynah (having been the figure the hat had been fitted on during sewing) so actually seeing the bird wasn’t as amazing.

“Ah, yes, sorry about disturbing you girls, back to bed you go!” replied the schoolteacher in a daze as she walked off to go talk to the other adults. After Cheerilee had left, it was silent in the CMC tent barring the rather unsettling breaths Apple Bloom was making. It was extremely subtle, but each time she inhaled and exhaled, it sounded more like Winona was in the sleeping bag as opposed to the youngest Apple.

“She’s gone, Apple Bloom,” whispered Scootaloo, not willing to elevate to normal talking voice just yet. “You feelin’ okay?”

“N-no,” the shaken filly whimpered, “but now Ah understand what Applejack was talkin’ about, how she wouldn’t want this to be forced upon anypony else.”

The mention of Applejack surprised the unchanged fillies in the tent.

“Wait, what was Applejack talking about in relation to, um…whatever happened to you?” asked Sweetie.

Apple Bloom opened her mouth, but then closed it and decided it would be better to be standing up for what she was going to say. As she got out of the bag, she couldn’t help but notice the backstep her two friends made as they got a good look at her new form. While still very equine like, the differences could not be denied. Her coat was longer and her mane, while still somewhat in its recognizable style, looked messier than Scootaloo did with bedhead with the middle of her signature bow all but swallowed up in the mess of mane. Her ears were straighter and twitched around, unlike normal pony ears. The front of her face was now noticeably different with a longer, more canine muzzle that certainly had sharper teeth meant for eating the kind of things ponies were normally squeamish about, complemented with her golden eyes that actually didn’t appear to have changed beyond them having a slight glow that may or may not have been a trick of the low light. Most telling, though, was her hooves having shifted into well-defined paws, the pointy ends of claws sticking out at the tips and on the bottom were leathery pads.

“Ah don’t know how, but…Ah’m…Ah’m a werewolf…” the traumatized Apple Bloom said, choking on the last word and about to break down into tears again.

“What?! That’s impossible! You’re just trying to pull a fast one on us, aren’t you?” accused Scootaloo, rolling her eyes at what had to be her friend’s attempt at an extreme prank.

Sweetie Belle was more considerate, taking one of Apple Bloom’s paws into her own hoof and examining it up close. “Scootaloo, I don’t think this is a joke,” the unicorn chided.

Scoot remained unconvinced. “I’m sorry, but it will take more than just something you could probably accomplish with a magic potion to convince me otherwise.”

Sweetie then took the paw in her hoof and used its claws to rake across her own sleeping bag. Sharp tips ripped through the top layer, leaving thin scars that bled cotton in the middle of the pony of pop.

“Okay, I’m convinced. I still want to know how, though. I thought werewolves were just mythical monsters made up to scare fillies at night?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “No, they existed, once. It’s a long story, one Ah’d rather not go into now, but as far as Ah know the only ones who were left are either dead or cured.”

“Wait, you can be cured of being a werewolf? How does _that_ work? And how do you already know so much about werewolves even though you’re saying you aren’t supposed to be one?”

“Yeah, that does seem kind of surprising, how do we know you haven’t been hiding this from us the whole time?” squeaked Sweetie.

With both her friends looking suspiciously at her, AB had no choice. “ _sigh_ …Okay, Ah can explain, but y’all have to promise me that under no circumstances are y’all to tell _anypony else_ about what Ah am, or what Ah’m about to tell you.”

Sweetie and Scoot nodded.

“Pinkie Promise.”

They Pinkie Promised.

With another sigh, Apple Bloom began to retell her elder sister’s hairy problem. “You guys remember when we built the car and ended up sendin' it into the Everfree?”

“Yeah, the one you got in so much trouble for because we painted it red?” recalled Scootaloo, “Didn’t Applejack end up getting the rest of the Elements to go in there and…wait, are you saying the thing that nearly tore out your sister’s throat was a werewolf?!”

“Yep.” Confirmed Apple Bloom, “As far as Ah know, he was supposed to have been the last one, made immortal by that evil unicorn who conquered the Crystal Empire, whatever his name was.”

“Rarity said something about him…was it King Sombrero?” suggested Sweetie.

“Ah dunno, somethin’ like that. Anyway, the point is that mah sister ended up becomin’ a werewolf because of that attack, but it took some time for her to finally tell everypony close to her about it. But Sable Loam, at least that’s what Ah think his name was, was killed and mah sister cured of ‘Lycanthropy’ or whatever Twilight said the name of this curse was.”

“Wait, that’s impossible, Iron Will killed that guy. They even stuffed his body and paraded it around the Minotaur capital at his wedding!” Scootaloo pointed out.

“That’s the official story, in truth Iron Will beat Sable within an inch of his life, but refused to finish the job since the only way to stop bein’ a werewolf is to either die or kill the one that turned you into a werewolf in the first place. It was Princess Celestia’s idea to give Iron Will credit so he could go get married, in return for his silence of the truth. Ah was there with the rest of the girls when it happened, that’s how Ah know Sable Loam is dead. His body isn’t even in Iron Will’s possession, since Ah overheard the Princess sayin' the real body would be moved into storage at the Crystal Castle.”

“Hold on a sec,” spoke a confused Scoot, “If this Sable Loam guy and Applejack were technically the last werewolves alive and your sister was cured of the curse by killing him, then how did you end up becoming one?”

“That’s what ah wanna know. Ah’ve never been bitten by anythin’, especially by no werewolf, except…no, that couldn’t have happened, Ah _refuse_ to believe that could have happened…”

“Could _what_ have happened?” inquired Sweetie.

“Ah…Ah don’t want to talk about that. Ah just know it can’t have happened.” Apple Bloom’s tone was clear it was an extremely personal matter, to which the other crusaders respected and dropped the matter. Several minutes passed in complete silence before Scootaloo spoke up.

“So…what are you gonna do now?”

“Ah guess…Ah guess Ah’m just gonna have to learn to live with this until Ah can figure out how it happened, an’ if Ah can reverse it.”

Sweetie frowned. “Don’t you think you should at least tell somepony? Like Twilight, who has access to pretty much any library in Equestria and could find a cure, or even just Appleja-“

**“NO!”** barked Apple Bloom, her eyes momentarily glowing brighter, “Ah can’t do that. Twilight’s a princess, now, she has more important matters to handle than just a farm filly like me. And Applejack…after what this curse did to her, did to all of mah family, Ah can’t let them go through it all again.” It was clear there was more to the connection between the Apples and werewolves that she wasn’t saying, but although Sweetie and Scoot wanted to pry for more information, they had enough sense to not dig into the personal secrets of an emotionally distraught werewolf.

“Well, as long as you don’t go and bite us, we’re here for you like always!” declared Scootaloo, raising a hoof. Sweetie did the same, saying “We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders, after all, we don’t let each other down. Even if one of us sorta turns into a monster.”

Apple Bloom looked at her friends, smiling. “ You girls are the best friends a pony could ask for.” She raised her hoof/paw up and together with her friends made a three-way hoof-bump. Then she noticed the damage she’d indirectly caused to Sweetie’s sleeping bag. “Uh…sorry ‘bout that…”

Sweetie waved it off. “No biggie. I’ll just have Rarity patch it up. Having the best fashionista in town for a big sister does have its perks, after all!”

The rest of the night in the CMC’s tent was spent with whispered voices as Scootaloo and Sweetie bombarded Apple Bloom with questions about her new form. While it was uncomfortable, it did sort of ease the troubles plaguing the newly transformed werewolf’s mind, since unlike Applejack she could be open about this to certain ponies.

* * *

Meanwhile, unknown to the rest of the entire camp, a translucent figure watched from the shadows. Her focus had been on one tent in particular, which for a short period of time had been exposed through the back window flap. She’d seen a new werewolf become born, although if the conversation in the tent had been true, she had not been born of a conventional bite. However, the mention of somepony named “Applejack” as having been a werewolf, turned by Sable himself, only to cure herself through killing him, soured the figure’s mood. Such a crime would not go unpunished, especially not when the great Sable Loam had reportedly been stuffed and paraded about like some kind of common game hen - his legacy demanded more respect than that.

But at the very least the painful conversation had yielded something worthwhile. The body of Sable Loam remained, having been sent back to the place where his rebirth had occurred. Sure, the Crystal Empire was several hundred miles away, but without a physical body that was of no concern.

“I’m coming, Sable, please wait for me,” whispered the diluted form before turning and rushing off. Nopony could see her, she was too fast for anypony to catch more than a glimpse of, and even if they did see her all they would see is a ghost, an impossibility. She herself hadn’t really believed in ghosts, but she wasn’t going to complain about a return to the physical world, since now she could operate without worry of constraints such as food or even air.

Through the Whitetail Woods she rushed, like an unending gale of wind. From there it was a quick trip through Ponyville itself, potentially risky but as there was nopony out at this hour save for some sleepy guards it was no problem at all. Next was the Everfree, which _should have been_ easy enough to just bolt through, but without warning the ghost hit an invisible magic barrier that against all reason halted her progress.

“Gah! What the-?!” responded the spirit, recovering from the impact and taking stock of her surroundings. She was near the ruins of Castle Everfree, in one of the little housing subdivisions that once held the lower classes of the capital prior to its destruction at the hooves of Nightmare Moon. Houses lay in various states of ruin, with vines having grown all over and most structures having eroded away after a thousand years of exposure to the natural, uncontrolled forces of the Everfree.

Yet, at the end of the street where the ghost had been running, there remained one house not only standing but in a decent state of repair. The barrier she had run into seemed to be surrounding that cottage, indicating there was some magic force still at work here, although instead of the usual type of magic the barrier seemed to carry a feeling she had the faintest memory of having encountered before - around Sable Loam, no less. But that didn’t make any sense: Sable had never come back here after joining up with King Sombra; he’d even said the best thing to ever happen to this place was it getting destroyed when the Royal Sisters came to blows. But then why was this magic even here?

Without warning, a cloaked figure emerged from the house, any distinguishable features covered by the garment. But the feeling of the magic barrier suddenly grew tenfold, and the ghost suddenly felt something she hadn’t felt in years; fear. With horror, she realized the feeling was from the dark magic that allowed Sable Loam to be immortal. King Sombra’s dark magic. Yet, in her limited time of having returned from the dead, she’d learned the egotistical unicorn had been destroyed by the power of the Crystal Heart. There were no regular users of dark magic other than him alive…or so it had seemed. But this individual…it’s connection with dark magic was strong enough for her to feel, even though her origins as an Earth Pony dictated she shouldn’t have.

The dark figure turned to face the spirit, its eyes glowing an unsettling combination of purple irises with green where white should have been, with some kind of magic smoke flowing from them off to the side. Where a horn presumably would have been, a bubbling mass that in the full moon’s light could be just made out to be purple in color appeared. The ghost needed nothing more to have reason to turn tail and flee. She’d find another way around Castle Everfree, but she was sure as hell not dealing with dark magic, against which she had no offense or defense. And she still had things to do before her time on the physical plane was up.

As the dark figure watched the spirit vanish back into the Everfree, the mass of dark magic around its horn vanished, the eyes returning to a normal state of whites with red irises. The only clue to the figure’s identity being revealed in the process; a lock of mane hair that wouldn’t have been visible had it been for blood-red streaks hovering in mid air, implying the base mane color was jet black. Silently, the figure returned to its abode, leaving the grounds surrounding Castle Everfree once again devoid of any pony life, either living or undead.

* * *

The following Sunday afternoon, the weekend field trip was over and all the colts and fillies were heading home for what little weekend they had left before Monday rolled around with yet even more school. But as three certain fillies walked together back to a familiar treehouse, one of them was still dealing with a very hairy problem.

“Hey, at least you’re back to normal, right?” Scootaloo pointed out in an attempt to be helpful.

“Yeah, but Ah don’t know how long this is gonna last. When she was still a werewolf, Applejack always said she’d feel the need to morph into the _other_ form every few nights or so to do ‘wolf things’ in the forest.”

“Like bury bones for no reason and pee on everything?” chirped Sweetie. She just got weirded out looks from her Crusader compatriots. “What? We did learn that wolves have something in their pee that marks their territory during school last month, remember?”

“Ah _really_ do not want to think about that.” Commented Apple Bloom, realizing that being a werewolf might have even _more_ problems than just being less equine physically.

“Well, what are the _positive_ things you could get from being a werewolf?” interjected Scootaloo, trying to change the subject to a more optimistic tone. “I’m sure you’re going to be a lot faster when running, at least.”

“Applejack never really mentioned anythin' good about bein’ a werewolf. Somethin’ about how the benefits were outweighed by the negatives. Ah know one of her biggest problems was her need to eat meat on a daily basis.”

Both of the non-cursed Crusaders were shocked.

“She actually had to do that?!” squeaked Sweetie, “I mean, everypony knew about the mess she made at the Meatery, but having to eat other animals every single day? That’s just-ULP!” Her face having turned green faster than Rainbow Dash accelerating from a dead stop to maximum top speed, Sweetie immediately ran behind a nearby tree and purged the contents of her stomach.

“Oh, great, how are we going to explain _this_ one?” complained Scootaloo. Apple Bloom, who had been watching Sweetie, turned to see what her Pegasus friend was seeing and paled. Coming to meet the CMC were Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity. They didn’t appear to have seen Sweetie’s sudden vomiting, but they’d learn soon enough. And as they couldn’t tell the elders the truth since it was now connected to Apple Bloom’s hairy little secret, they had to come up with something else and fast.

In light of the situation, Apple Bloom could only say one thing;

“Buck my life.”


	30. Book2 Ch.5 From Dusk Till Dawn

Rise of the Furball Chapter 5: “From Dawn ‘till Dusk”

As the alarm clock rang, a very unsteady white hoof emerged from the bed to try and silence it. Unfortunately, the first few attempts were misses and just slammed the bedside table, and on try seven the only thing that was accomplished was knocking the alarm clock onto the floor. With a heavy sigh, Sweetie drudged herself up and out of bed to silence the bells once and for all.

Now that she was up, she lazily made her way to the bathroom to prepare for the day. While she did have an excuse to miss out of school on this morning, having cited the trip to the Whitetail Woods having somehow made her violently ill, to do so would mean she would not be able to go hang out with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom later, and with the added concern of just what the latter filly had become two nights ago, Sweetie couldn’t let the earth pony out of her sights if she could help it.

Tidied up and ready to go, Sweetie descended the steps with her saddlebags, ready for school…once she picked up breakfast. To her surprise, Rarity was already downstairs and talking with somepony the filly had never seen before. The unfamiliar unicorn mare was raspberry in color, with a mane of sky blue and light purple streaks, and eyes of a deep maroon. There was something that seemed a bit odd about the streaks, but Sweetie ignored it and chalked it up to still being somewhat sleepy. The mare’s cutie mark caught Sweetie’s eye next; it was a baby blue heart gem with three other colors of gems radiating away from it on either side.

Then the filly saw the phoenix sitting on top of a dress-form mannequin. She’d certainly seen Celestia’s pet phoenix, Philomena, before...but this one was clearly different. Instead of the usual coloration, this fiery bird, clearly a male by his mannerisms, was coated in a brilliant mix of gold and green. He was also much smaller than Philomena, possibly not having even gone through his first reincarnation cycle, but certainly well beyond having just hatched from an egg.

“Wow, I’ve never seen a Phoenix like that before!” shouted Sweetie, demonstrating her complete ignorance of the conversation in the same room. The bird was startled, jumping up from its perch on one of Rarity’s hollow helpers and rapidly flying over to perch on the horn of the raspberry unicorn, presumably the owner of the phoenix.

“Sweetie Belle!” chided Rarity, “I know I’ve told you before about how rude it is to both yell around other ponies who are talking _and_ when you’re near easily startled pets!” She glanced over at Opal, who was hissing at the youngest unicorn from under the sewing machine table.

“Sorry…” apologized the downcast filly, before perking right back up. “Who’s your friend?”

“Oh, um, don’t mind me…” said the still-unnamed unicorn, an embarrassed blush visible even through her coat. Sweetie immediately thought of Fluttershy doing the same thing, even letting a bird perch on her horn…if she’d been a unicorn and not a Pegasus.

“Now, now, darling, it’s just my sister,” Rarity explained. “Sweetie Belle, this is Raspberry Beryl. She’s a gemologist by trade and has been absolutely _invaluable_ to me as of late in finding the exact kind of precious gems I need.”

Raspberry blushed harder at the compliment. “It’s just what I’m good at, really, I’m just glad I can be of use.”

Sweetie, deciding to apply ‘dealing with Fluttershy’ tactics, changed the topic to animals. “Is that phoenix your pet?”

“Uh-huh. His name is Heliodor. Say hello, Heeleee.” The Phoenix cooed a hello cautiously, wary of the filly that had just scared him.

“Sweetie, don’t you have some breakfast to get?” interrupted Rarity, “I know you said you were feeling sick after the camping trip yesterday, but you look healthy enough to resume your education, and school is in thirty minutes.”

“Alright!” chirped Sweetie, trotting off to the kitchen.

There was a momentary silence before Raspberry spoke up. “So, that’s your little sister?”

“Oh yes. She can be quite a handful, but I do manage to find ways of making the most of the time she is with me.”

“With you? I don’t understand, you mean she goes to other places?”

“Well, my parents just live on the other side of town and are her legal guardians. They just leave her here with me often because I should be an influence on her life. Although at this point I have to say I’ve spent more time with her than our parents.”

Raspberry looked downcast suddenly. “I…see. At least you have a family. My mother died giving birth to me, her only child, and Dad…”

Rarity immediately detected something was amiss. “Raspberry, is something the matter? You can always talk to me about anything, anything at all.”

An explosion promptly came from the kitchen. “Sorry! Just making toast!” said the disembodied voice of Sweetie Belle.

The red unicorn’s eyes suddenly went wide as she raised her head, Heliodor taking flight as if it was a practiced maneuver. “Oh, no! I just remembered someplace I need to be! We’ll talk next time I’m delivering an order to you, but I really need to go!”

And with that Raspberry was out the door with Heliodor in tow, leaving a perplexed fashionista wondering just what the matter was, before remembering herself that Sweetie might have just destroyed her kitchen. Her recently - and expensively - remodeled kitchen.

Rarity just sighed. This was going to be a long, long day.

* * *

Sandalwood may as well have been standing on white-hot coals, she was so fidgety. Zecora had sent a message that she’d have to reschedule when she could do an aromatherapy session due to the sudden need to repair a trail protection totem. As it had so happened, Sunday would have been the _perfect_ day for giving Zecora the aromatherapy as Lotus and Aloe hadn’t been able to be at the spa. Now it was Monday, the stock of materials Sandalwood used were lower than she’d initially thought, the spa twins _were_ at the spa today, and the poor tan pony had just told them about what was going to happen.

“Free aromatherapy? Are you trying to pull something here?” inquired an irate Lotus. “You just told us that the price of materials as footed by this business had gone up, and now you’re essentially wasting our revenue?”

If there was one thing Sandalwood absolutely hated about her job, it was that Lotus and Aloe took a lot of convincing to see beyond their point of view.

“Honestly, with the way you’ve been acting lately, how do we know you didn’t already reduce your materials yesterday when we weren’t here?” accused Aloe, just as antagonistic as her twin.

_Because that’s_ exactly _what I wanted to do, in order to avoid this very conversation_ thought Sandalwood, doing her best to not show how pissed off she was getting. “Lotus, Aloe, I told you, this is for somepony who says she can help get me what I need at a lower cost, but-“

“And you didn’t run it by us first?” both twins said at once.

“I tried to, but you _weren’t here yesterday,_ so this is me running it by you _now_ because this is the first time I’ve seen you two since Friday!”

“I hope I’m not interrupting a deed,” said Zecora, who had appeared without warning at the service window. “But I’m here on time, as we agreed.”

“Oh, Mrs. Zecora, we weren’t expecting you!” the twins said in somewhat creepy unison. Lotus then turned back to Sandalwood. “Why didn’t you tell us you were doing the free thing for her?”

“What do you think I’ve been trying to do this entire time!?” argued Sandalwood, exasperated from the ditziness of her employers.

“Oh…well, our mistake then!” pseudo-apologized Lotus. Sandalwood just sighed before exiting the front office, knowing trying to get a _real_ apology out of either of them would be an exercise in frustration.

“Whatever. I just want to get to making sure I still can do my job with the proper materials. Zecora, if you could come with me?”

Sandalwood led her Zebra client into a room in the back, which to the customer was meant to look like a luxury beach house porch on the coast of some tropical location such as Hoofalulu. After helping Zecora get onto the massage table, the aromatherapist quickly darted into a hidden back room where her various oils, diffusers, and other materials were stored without having to clutter up the main massage area and ruin the desired effect.

“Now, if at any point you don’t feel comfortable, just let me know, okay?”

“If you’re as good as advertised, then I’ve no worries to disguise. You seem in tune with your vocations, and I look forward to your creations.”

Relieved, Sandalwood set to work. Aromatherapy in general is really just a massage but enhanced in various ways by the scented oils and things that were supposedly worked into the skin by the practitioner’s hooves. Normally, Sandalwood offered various different types of sessions at different prices depending on what the customer wanted, the price being higher for the more things requested of Sandalwood. Of course, due to the situation at hoof, Sandalwood was giving Zecora her most expensive session, which was basically everything Aromatherapy could provide, free of charge. Ironically, while the basic thing aromatherapy was supposed to provide was stress relief through the massage itself, Sandalwood was becoming more stressed as she watched her already limited supplies dwindle, some of them even being completely used up on Zecora. If the zebra couldn’t replicate those, it was going to be _big_ chunk of the tan pony’s salary down the drain. Ninety minutes later, Sandalwood was finished with her expensive demonstration.

“I feel as though I’ve been reborn,” said Zecora, smiling and feeling better than she had in years. “As fresh as new dew at first light of morn.”

“Great! I gave you the complete works, so I appreciate the feedback!” replied Sandalwood, happy at having another satisfied customer but also more than a little worried about the state of the real reason for having done all this.

Sensing the other pony’s desperation, Zecora just chuckled. “Worry not, I’ll provide what you require. I’d hate to see you in straits so dire.”

“Really?!” Sandalwood’s tired smile was rivaling a Pinkie Pie grin at this point.

The zebra nodded. “I’ll need small samples to test against, to ensure the closest matching scent. But all will be well, I promise you - there’s no need to be worried or blue. Besides, that countenance ill suits you.”

“You have a point there,” agreed the embarrassed aromatherapist . Inside, however, she was jumping for joy. She’d get the things she needed locally, and whatever leverage Zecora had on the twins might also prove helpful later on. Right now, however, Sandalwood was thinking about taking a much needed break from work for all of next week.

* * *

As Royal Guard Private Flash Sentry stood guard in front of a vault door deep beneath the Crystal Castle, he had to wonder why life as a guard had seemed so appealing.

Sure, it had been pretty good when he’d enlisted, but by the time he was allowed to actually be a part of the detail stationed at the castle, all the exciting stuff had already been over and all he’d really gotten to do is announce the arrival of Princess Twilight Sparkle. He’d run into her a few times, probably would have asked her out on a date had she not been, well, a newly crowned royal who was caught up trying to reclaim a crown that was stolen right under everypony’s noses. The name of the culprit; Sunset Shimmer, seemed vaguely familiar somehow, but Flash didn’t put too much stock in it. Probably some pony he’d once known as a classmate years ago. What he should have put more thought into was that drunken bet he’d made last night on challenging any other guard pony on Royal Protection Detail to a drinking contest. Especially about backing out when none other than Princess Cadence herself showed up to answer the challenge (how she’d gotten away with that he’d never figure out) and promptly humiliated him by winning. She then punished him for being so stupid by assigning him to guard some random vault in the basement, the worst assignment possible. Yet, he resolved to make up for his deficiency and would guard this door with his life.

Fate was at least kind to him in that he’d never know he’d already failed in his duty as a ghostly figure leaped through the walls into the vault when his head was turned the other way.

_Too easy_ she thought, moving towards the one thing in the magically sealed room. It was lined on all sides with every kind of magic failsafe imaginable, but they only worked on living ponies, not ghosts. In the center of the room was the strangest thing of all, though, the thing all the traps were meant to prevent from ever leaving. The stuffed body of Sable Loam, forever frozen in a “dramatic” pose of him mid-attack, as imagined by the common pony.

The sacrilege of the once-feared werewolf angered the spirit. He shouldn’t ever have had to be brought down to this level of humiliation, especially when it was certain the majority of ponies would only come to know werewolves as having finally been killed off. The fact there was at least one more whose very existence ruined that claim brought a smile to her face, a small solace but she would take her pleasures where she could.

“Oh, Sable, what did they do to you…” she said to the pony who had stolen her heart. “It probably won’t make a difference now, since we’re both dead, but I know now trying to turn those farmers into werewolves was a terrible mistake. Except, here I am, returned from the dead, while you remain frozen in time, locked away beneath the surface, but only because they fear you. Even in death, they don’t know what might happen, they might even think you could come back to life like nothing happened.

“Heh. But they don’t know about me. As far as anypony is concerned, I’ve been dead for centuries, they apparently even thought I was you, or at least I know that stupid sun princess did when she vaporized me. However, while I don’t know who or what has brought me back, I will avenge you, my love, and if the legacy of werewolves is to end, then I will forever engrave it into history that our kind was the strongest, most feared creature on the face of this earth.”

She then reared up, deeply kissing the inanimate stallion.

“Goodbye, my love. May the next time we meet be in the afterlife, where I will forever be by your side once more.” With that, Fair Vista turned away from Sable Loam and left the vault. She didn’t know if that idiot guard saw her that time, but it was no matter to her. There was nothing in the Crystal Empire she needed, her only focus was on the town of Ponyville. Where everything had gone wrong, but could possibly still be made right.

* * *

Back at CMC Headquarters, the trio was back to the usual; trying everything imaginable to earn their cutie marks.

“So, what should we do next?” asked a pumped up Scootaloo, eager and willing with the knowledge that THIS was the day she would get her cutie mark, if not all of them. In her hooves was a sheet of parchment and a pencil, for writing down ideas.

“Uh…Matchmaking?” suggested Sweetie.

“Sweetie Belle, in all honesty you can’t do that with yourself. Need I remind you of Button Mash?”

“ **Don’t.** ” sternly replied the tiny unicorn. Button Mash, one of the classmates of the CMC, had been the subject of Sweetie Belle’s affections for the longest time. Only problem was that, when they had actually tried to simply have milkshakes together, she found multiple reasons to re-evaluate her opinion of the beanie-wearing Button.

“Yep, matchmaking is off the list. Apple Bloom, you got any ideas?”

When several seconds passed without response, Scootaloo looked up from her list. “Did you hear me Apple Bloom?”

The filly in question jumped as if startled. “Wha? Oh, sorry, kinda stared off into space there.”

“Are you sure you’re alright, AB?” asked the Pegasus, writing instruments put aside, “You’ve been sort of melancholy like this all day, you’re not even eager as you usually are for trying to get your cutie mark. Is this something about the whole werewolf thing that you didn’t mention?”

The little Apple sighed. “Kinda. Ah don’t know if either of you noticed, but during the time mah sister was a werewolf, her cutie mark had been fadin’ until it was barely even visible. Gettin’ cured restored it to normal, but…what about me? Ah don’t have mah cutie mark, but Ah’m afraid that because of that Ah may not even get it at all now since Ah’m not a full pony anymore.”

“Yeah, I was sort of wondering about that.” Commented Sweetie. “But it didn’t go away completely, now did it?”

“Uh…no, Ah think it just faded to where it was almost not visible, but even that Sable Loam pony had his cutie mark, and he’d been around almost as long as both Princess Celestia and Luna.”

“Then, what if you just need to try _harder_ for your cutie mark to appear?”

“Ah hadn’t thought of that.” Energy seemed to come back to the filly as the prospect of finding her calling suddenly became visible again.

“ _There’s_ the Apple Bloom we know!” smiled Scootaloo, who had sat back down and made to start writing things down again. “Now, back to where we were; what to do for our cutie marks?”

“Ooh! Ooh! I know!” squeaked Sweetie, “What about we try being fitness trainers?”

“Seriously?” asked Apple Bloom with her eyebrow raised. “Knowin’ our track record, we’ll be tryin’ to train Snips and Snails to be competitive ice cream eaters eventually.”

“Competitive…Ice…Cream…Eating…” mumbled Scootaloo as she wrote the idea down.

“Well, what about we try and train you, Apple Bloom?” suggested the unicorn.

“Me? Why me? Ah’d say Ah’m already pretty fit due to workin’ on the farm, an’ AJ’s a national competitor in the Equestriani Rodeo. Ah don’t see the need-“

“You’re forgetting the part where you’re a _werewolf_!”

Apple Bloom wasn’t following. “Yes, Ah’m aware that Ah’m a freak of nature now. Thank you fer remindin’ me of that. Ah still don’t get what-“

Sweetie shook her head back and forth. “No no no! I mean, we train you so you’re the _best_ werewolf you can be!”

“Why would Ah _want_ to be the best werewolf Ah can be? Ah don’t _want_ to be a werewolf, that’s somethin’ Ah’m pretty sure Ah made clear two nights ago.”

“Do have any idea how you’re going to cure yourself?”

“…Not yet, no…”

“That’s why I’m saying we should train you to be the best you can be! It’s obvious you might be a werewolf for a while, so might as well make the best of it, right?”

“Ah guess so. Probably would help with the urges to turn into a critter at any rate.”

“I gotta say, that sounds pretty cool, actually,” Scoot chimed in. “If you get good enough, maybe you can even scare Diamond Tiara at her own bedroom window!”

“Okay, now _that_ idea Ah can get behind!” agreed Apple Bloom, flashing an evil smile that contained teeth slightly sharper than normal pony teeth. “We’ll need to figure out how y’all are supposed to train me for somethin’ like that, though, since Ah’m tryin’ to still keep the whole werewolf thing secret.”

“Right!” agreed Scoot and Sweetie. So, with the plan settled, the three agreed to figure out a regimen on how to make an adolescent werewolf the absolute worst nightmare that ever came to life. Diamond Tiara was going to learn that karma had a name, and that name was Apple Bloom.

* * *

Later that day, after the Crusaders had adjourned and gone home for dinner, a royal carriage descended from the sky above Ponyville. Pulled by two Guard Pegasi in special armor emblazoned with a star instead of the usual sun, the chariot was taken over the town and landed right in front of Carousel Boutique.

Rarity had just served up dinner for herself and Sweetie, who was once again spending the week there thanks to their parents going off to attend some old family friend’s wedding or something, when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” said the elder unicorn as she made for the door. Opening it revealed a pretty princess on the other side. “Twilight! What a wonderful surprise! I thought you said your next time off from, er, ‘Princess Lessons’ was next week, if you’d let me known earlier I would have made more supper.”

“That’s alright, Rarity,” replied the purple alicorn. “And no, don’t offer me your dinner, either, I actually ate before coming here since I can’t stay long.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, what can I do for you, your majesty?” While it was addressing Twilight by her new status, the honorific was made more to tease the young princess, who preferred her friends not treat her as such just so they always remembered she was the same Twilight, only now with wings.

“I was wondering if you had that commission from me ready, the saddle blanket for my brother? It’s his birthday a week from tomorrow and I want to make sure I have it ready.”

“But of course! Just give me a moment; I think I must have put it in with some of my other orders upstairs.” Rarity left to find the saddle blanket, leaving Twilight and Sweetie alone in the room.

“So how’s school been?” asked Twilight, a question Sweetie knew was coming from a mile away.

“It’s been alright. We went on a field trip last weekend to see a Screaming Mynah, which was pretty interesting.”

“Really? I wasn’t aware that they were native to this area.”

“They’re not. Ms. Cheerilee said they’re only around here every couple of years or so.” Sweetie then perked up when she remembered the even cooler bird she’d encountered earlier. “But I saw something even rarer today: a green-and-yellow phoenix!”

“A what?” Twilight was skeptical at that. Such a melanistic variance in phoenix genetics would be extremely rare, plus the proud creatures normally only lived towards the more arid parts of the country, near the volcanoes the dragons migrated to every century. “Where did you see it?”

“One of Rarity’s business partners had it, she said it was her pet I think. Its name was Heli…something, I don’t remember. He like to perch on his owner’s horn, too, which I don’t think even Celestia allows Philomena to do."

Twilight tried to not show her extreme skepticism at this information. A phoenix of non-red coloration alone would warrant it, but the fact it was a unicorn’s pet and could sit on her horn… Twilight really found it too much to believe. While pony horns were naturally tough, being mostly a bone extrusion from the skull with a direct connection to the brain, to allow a bird to sit on it would not only disrupt any magic the user tried to cast but the bird’s weight itself would be pushing down on the horn. It would be as if a metal rod was attached to one’s skull and somepony was pulling the stick down while simultaneously using the neck as the hinge. At least, that’s what Celestia had said about the one time she’d let Philomena sit on her horn while trying to raise the sun. The idea a normal unicorn could do what Princess Celestia could not…it was just too outrageous.

“Ah, here it is!” said Rarity, bringing down a neatly folded saddle blanket in her telekinesis. The aura around the blanket shifted from blue to purple as it was magically handed off.

“Thanks, Rarity. Oh, just curious, but what is this about a green phoenix and it perching on its owner’s horn?”

“Oh, that, it’s just the antics of my friend Raspberry Beryl and her pet bird Heliodor.”

“Who?”

“Raspberry is my main gem finder. I know, I can do it myself, it’s not like my flank doesn’t remind me of that every day, but with my workload having increased it’s just been easier to have another pony do it for me. She’s always able to find just the gems I need, it’s just the poor thing is so timid that she’d probably be scared of Fluttershy talking to her.”

“And this…Heliodor, who I’m guessing is a green-and-gold phoenix?”

“Ah, yes, him. Very well behaved bird, although he loves attention. Honestly, between you and me, I think Raspberry got tricked into thinking he’s a phoenix. He looks the part, but he’s far too small and the way he perches on her horn…no way he’s the real deal. However, she loves him as a companion so I don’t have the heart to break it to her. Although, do phoenixes even come in green?”

“They don’t, which only fuels my suspicions it’s a smaller bird enchanted to look like a unique phoenix. As long as she doesn’t do anything bad with it, I think we can let it slide, especially if she genuinely believes he’s a phoenix.”

“Agreed. I guess it’s back to Canterlot with you, then?”

“Yep. Going to have night lessons with Princess Luna tonight, although with all this work it will be a challenge to not fall asleep!”

The two friends shared a laugh before parting ways. Minutes later, as Twilight sat in her chariot, the blanket safely stowed under her rump, her thoughts went to Sweetie talking about that green phoenix and its owner.

_I wonder why whoever enchanted that bird made it green instead of red_ pondered the princess. _Even considering how rare phoenixes are as pets, there’s no way some timid gem finder in Ponyville could get their hands on something like that unless they themselves enchanted it or had it enchanted. But I guess the question is_ why _there is a mare going around Ponyville with a fake phoenix and offering her services as a gem pedler?_

The question would go on unanswered right up to the point Twilight met with the Princess of the Night.

“Good evening, Princess Twilight,” greeted the dusky alicorn.

“Good evening, Princess Luna. Before we begin tonight, I have to ask something that may seem somewhat random.”

“Is it about my…other self?” Luna seemed to tense up at the idea this would be about Nightmare Moon.

“Not at all.”

“Then ask away, Twilight.” The tension disappeared, replaced by Luna’s relieved expression.

Twilight cleared her throat. “Princess Luna, have you ever heard of, or even seen, a green-and-gold phoenix?”

“An odd question, to be sure, but I have seen a green-and-gold phoenix.”

Twilight was surprised. “Really? When? And where?”

Luna smiled, “Believe it or not, it was one of the pets of Queen Faust, who I believe you met immediately following the death of Sable Loam. When she…left this world, her phoenix also left the castle, leaving behind a solitary egg.”

Twilight knew whose egg that was. “So you’re saying Philomena’s mother was one of these green phoenixes?”

“Indeed. That was a thousand years ago, so the idea that of what must be a few hundred of them currently today, there is at least one green-and-gold individual out there. However, I suspect the reason you are asking is because you heard a story of a pony who has a phoenix of that coloration appearing in some towns, is that right?”

Twilight would have just been bowled over by Luna’s insight, but by this point the ascended unicorn knew better. “Yeah, somepony that Rarity contracted to help get gems for her dressmaking.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. While phoenixes are known for being wild creatures who are impossible to tame, the green ones instead tend to find a companion, usually a pony, who they will stick with for the rest of their lives. When their pony companion dies, they will return to the wild and re-integrate with their kind. That is what my mother’s phoenix; Verna, did, and it is those same magical instincts that have made Philomena such a loyal pet to my sister even though she is outwardly no different from the common wild phoenixes.”

Twilight was silent at this new information. The story had gone from being far fetched to almost completely true. The horn thing was still unanswered, but now that Twilight knew the general area of where to find this phoenix and its owner, the only possible course of action would be to find them and make some new discoveries.

There would be time for that later, though.

“Thank you, Princess. May we begin now?”

“Yes, I believe we can.”


	31. Book2 Ch.6 Peek-A-Boo!

Rise of the Furball Chapter 6: “Peek-a-Boo!”

  


Mornings for Diamond Dazzle Tiara, daughter of wealthy businessman Filthy Rich and his trophy wife Champagne Dreams, used to have been so simple. The last of the family to wake up about seven sharp, the time was only that early to begin with due to school, Tiara would wake up like a princess in her four-poster, queen-size bed. A fabulous breakfast in bed would start off each day just right, followed by a quick morning shower, leading into heading downstairs where her saddlebags were pre-packed by the family’s wait staff and a trip via carriage into town where DT would hook up with her PFFFL (Pony Friend Forever for Life) Silver Spoon, where together they would go to Ponyville Elementary to rule the schoolyard and make fun of all the lesser fillies and colts. It had been a great way to do things, without anything being left behind or any need unfulfilled.

At least, that’s how it had been until Filthy Rich suddenly started to slightly drop off in the doting of his little angel and started requiring her to do things herself, in some misguided (in her opinion) attempt to make her more like the scum she had to cavort with on a daily basis. First it had been making her be solely responsible for managing her saddlebags, which she still considered far beneath her due to how tedious it was. The fact she’d always had to do her homework, as opposed to a servant hired specifically to do it for her, had always been an annoyance to the pink filly, but now that she had to bother even putting it into her bags now irritated her even more.

Then he’d made her come _downstairs_ for breakfast instead of being able to have it in bed.

Then she had to take the shower _before_ going down to breakfast.

Then she’d nearly blown a fuse when her special “breakfast-in-pink” plateware suddenly disappeared for no reason, which she suspected her dad to also be responsible for (which he was, but only because it was discovered said plateware were in fact priceless family heirlooms that had ended up in the wrong box during the last property insurance audit, to which he subsequently had them placed in his private home office for protection where his daughter would never see them).

But now… _now_ she was reaching her limit. At the very least, after going from being tended to at every step from waking up to leaving the carriage, to having to do everything herself save cook the actual meal, she could have done it all in silence. But, after her latest failure in bullying Apple Bloom went so far south, it was her mother that decided to try helping the crowned filly be more down to Earth.

So, a month after being shown up by a farmer, Diamond Tiara found herself sitting in the giant family dining room for breakfast with only her mother for company. Worse, her mother was trying to actually have a conversation.

“So, sugar,” began Champagne Dreams, doing her best to be motherly in tone even though it was obvious she was severely lacking in child communication skills. “Is there anything interesting planned for today in school?”

“No, mother,” replied an unhappy Diamond Tiara, trying to enjoy what she could of the hay-and-oats chocolate pancake stack in front of her.

“Oh, well, erm…” replied Dreams, trying to think of other discussion topics.

It hadn’t even been two minutes before the filly couldn’t take it.

“Mom, why do we need to even do this?” whined Diamond Tiara. “What have I done that you and Dad are punishing me for? Everything was fine the way it was when I could still have my first meal in bed, when I could shower without an empty stomach, when I didn’t have to worry about having my school bags all ready to go the night before school! Everything was so much _simpler_! _”_

Champagne sighed. “Tiara, dear, you have to understand that even though we’re impossibly wealthy, our family cannot lose sight of what it is to be a pony on the inside. After all, that’s what the business interests that keep our accounts loaded with bits were founded on.”

“No they’re not! You and Dad hardly ever need to act like regular ponies! You’re always away on business related trips, staying in the most luxurious penthouse suites and cavorting around with the who’s who of society! Nopony gets to that kind of social status simply by being nice to everypony!” argued the irate filly.

“While that is true, most of that social elite are made up of nobles and wealthy heirs who haven’t worked a day in their lives to get where they are. That wasn’t the case for your father, who your grandfather, Horribly Rich, made work in the local stores of Barnyard Bargains here in Ponyville all the way through the corporate side of things before finally inheriting the job of CEO. And that was after making him only go through public school, like Ponyville Elementary.”

“Is that why you guys won’t let me attend a private school, where I can hang out with ponies who are actually like me instead of the normal residents of this backwater town?”

Champagne became more serious. “Diamond Tiara, I’m sure your father has made it clear how important Ponyville is to our family. We are, after all, one of its founding families, and one of the two most important alongside the Apples. It is important that you learn to be as much a part of the community as being a part of this family.” DT would have argued back, but the great grandfather clock in the room started to chime. “Oh, my bad, it seems we took too much time talking for you to finish your breakfast.”

“No, no, it’s fine, I’ll just eat it on the go!” hurriedly said the filly before taking the plate of pancakes and rushing away to the kitchen, plate-in-hoof. It would be awkward trying to eat them in the carriage, but it was a far preferable alternative to talking to her fashion-model mother about how the Rich family bloodline needs to be like the common pony in the streets. Or how the Apple Family was even allowed to be compared to the Rich family simply because of the whole “Founding Families” thing. As she dashed into the waiting carriage, plate of pancakes in her mouth now, she managed to stumble into the cabin and land face-first in said plate. Taking the moment, the waiting staff who bore witness to the event stifled their laughter, glad that karma was biting the demanding, spoiled brat right in the flank once more.

* * *

“C’mon, y’all! Time to go back in the pen!”

If there was one thing that Applejack disliked about living on Sweet Apple Acres, it was having to deal with the sheep. While the apple crop was always going to be a major part of the farm’s total revenue, it wasn’t the only thing supporting the Apple Family. Corn, wheat, and other cash crops did a fair share of supplementary revenue, but the big non-crop material sold through the farm was wool. Harvested in early spring, not long after Winter Wrap Up, the wool was processed old-fashioned style by the Apples while they waited for their crop to ripen, then stored until mid-fall where demand for wool would skyrocket due to the demand for warm clothing to fight the oncoming winter with. However, because wool only grew on sheep, and sheep were very skittish creatures despite being sentient just as much as ponies, so getting them to do anything the whole herd needed to do, such as go back into the pen after grazing, required some extra help. For Applejack, that extra help came in the form of Winona, who got them all into the pen relatively quickly.

“Hey, Applejack!” came a familiar voice, to which Applejack turned around and found Sandalwood approaching.

“Howdy, Sandalwood! Aren’t you supposed to be at work or somethin’?”

“Nah, taking some time off as my aromatherapy supplies are near total depletion and Zecora needs time to make her more affordable substitutes. Today I thought I’d come visit you on the farm, since the last time I was here there wasn’t able to really see the place.”

“Ah don’t remember you ever havin’ come to Sweet Apple Acres at all since you moved here.”

“You weren’t here. Remember the whole thing with Sable Loam and the chasing and the motor vehicles and the-“

“Oh. Right. _That,_ ” sheepishly replied the slightly blushing Applejack.

Sandalwood just shook her head. “Yeah, I thought as much. Anyway, in addition to seeing what your property is like, there is the matter of the truck.”

“The truck? What about the truck? Neither Ah nor the rest of mah family have found a use for it ever since it was put in the shed.”

“Have you at least run the engine since storing it?”

“No, don’t see a need to if it’s not bein’ used. Why?”

The tan pony frowned. “Because the truck, last I checked which admittedly was months ago, is using just a slightly improved version of the parade float engine that powered the thing the truck started out as. It has a battery, which requires to be constantly run simply to ensure it operates properly. Even before Twilight made it a permanent part of the vehicle with her spell, that’s proper internal combustion engine maintenance care since the battery runs the sparkplugs, which causes-“

Applejack just waved her hooves around in front of Sandalwood. “Alright, alright, Ah get it. You’re the mechanics expert here, not me. Frankly, when that engine was still a separate component, Ah simply just removed the battery. ‘Course, that was before the Crusaders put it into the big golden apple float that crashed into the river, which may or may not have damaged the engine and battery.”

Sandalwood, not wanting to waste time just standing around, had already begun walking away. “The engine was in good enough condition to send the ramshackle car it was installed in crashing into the Everfree, and it didn’t fail once during its rough maiden run in the truck, so I think it’s safe to say the engine just needs a little exercise.”

“Whatever you say,” replied Applejack.

Together, the two mares made their way to one of the smaller barns on the property, Winona tagging along and barking happily at the relative newcomer. Upon reaching the barn, the ponies each took a door and opened it up to expose the contents. Inside the barn sat a vehicle who Applejack shared a rather strange relation with: the Apple Truck. Originally a regular old cart with a salvaged float engine, it had been this vehicle’s demise that led to Applejack’s stint as a werewolf, and for that she was still somewhat wary around it. However, after Twilight tried to turn it into a copy of the fully working motor car built by Lyra and Sandalwood the same way she once made an apple carriage, the spell had ended up turning it into what Lyra described as a “truck” type of vehicle. Reborn, the newly christened “Apple Truck” had played a crucial part in helping take down the evil Sable Loam (namely by being the only thing that could have carried Iron Will to the battle with any kind of speed) and in turn not only restoring Applejack to her normal self but also giving closure to the mystery around the deaths of her parents. For that, the apple farmer decided to keep it around, but since out of habit all heavy load transport was done manually, the vehicle had been locked up in its barn ever since, left untouched.

Or that’s what Sandalwood had thought until she noticed what was sitting in the truck’s bed.

“Applejack, why is there a life-size cutout of Twilight Sparkle in the back of your truck?”

The mare in question was confused. “Huh? There shouldn’t be nothin’ back there…” Walking over to Sandalwood to see, the orange ex-werewolf’s confusion grew deeper as she too saw the two-dimensional pony in the back of the Apple Truck. It wasn’t even accurate to the pony it was trying to duplicate, as it depicted Twilight in her original unicorn form instead of her current alicorn state. Heck, it didn’t even look exactly _like_ the regular unicorn Twilight either; the eyes seemed off center, the expression’s smile looked just plain creepy, and the “corkscrew” lines on her horn were far too vertically slanted to look like any real unicorn’s horn.

“Not gonna lie, that’s creepy.” commented Sandalwood.

“Ah wanna know where it came from,” replied Applejack, who proceeded to get into the truck bed to get a closer look. However, close examination revealed nothing about the origins of Cardlight Sparkle. It was if somepony had taken a perfect image of the princess prior to her ascension, altered it somewhat so it _wasn’t_ a perfect image anymore, plastered it onto a large piece of cardboard, and then snuck it into the barn without having undone the lock simply to put it in the back of an unused truck.

“I’m more interested in _why_ , myself,” absently mentioned Sandalwood, who had already popped open the truck’s hood to do a basic diagnostic, “is there anypony you know who could have any kind of reason to make a useless standee for the sole purpose of standing in the back of your truck?”

“Ah don’t. The lock doesn’t look touched, so Ah have to figure it’s somepony who has teleportation that could’ve done this, but even then Ah don’t know why somepony would want to leave it in a place where it wouldn’t be seen for months? As far as Ah know, the only thing Twi ever even did with this thing was turn it from useless scrap to…er, Ah guess not useless scrap once Ah actually figure out what to do with it.”

“Actually, she rode in the back with Spike and Iron Will when we went chasing after you. It’s how our now-married motivational speaker friend knew not to kill that furry bastard if you were ever to stop being a werewolf. Also, I want to take this thing out for a spin to check the battery.”

With no reason not to, Applejack just shrugged in reply. Some minutes later, the Apple Truck was rumbling its way around Sweet Apple Acres with a reluctant Applejack at the wheel. Sandalwood, aromatherapist and now driving instructor, kept on giving commands to the frazzled farmer that supposedly would put the truck through its paces. Cardlight Sparkle remained in the bed, visible in the rear view mirror and providing silent support.

“Ah swear this is the craziest thing Ah’ve ever done since tryin’ to sell surplus cotton!” shouted Applejack, clutching the wheel with a deathgrip. Somehow, the wheel was _not_ instantly breaking under her strength.

“Toggle the headlights, and what was that about cotton?” quipped Sandy, who seemed to be paying more attention to the behavior of the truck than Applejack’s comments. The farmer remained silent, but did hit the switch for the headlights. The area immediately in front of the truck grew brighter, seemingly satisfying Sandalwood until she realized the strain of Applejack’s first driving experience might cause the hat wearing pony a hernia. “Alright, you can stop. _Lightly_ press on the brake as you take your hoof off the accelerator.” Gradually the truck came to a stop, its engine rumbling in idle.

“ _That’s_ what mah sister and her friends wanted to build!?” a somewhat paled and sweaty Applejack gasped. To say she did not like driving was an understatement.

Sandalwood just laughed. “Yeah, I had the same reaction when Lyra and I took the car for its first test drive. I know you won’t believe me, but it goes _way_ faster than this truck if you slam the accelerator pedal. Part of it is the weight, since the car is smaller and lighter, but its engine also has a higher operating power drain compared to the mass produced float engine you’ve got, high enough that Lyra has to use her magic to power it. So take it from me in that if you keep practicing driving, you’ll get the hang of it.”

Applejack only looked slightly relieved. “Yeah…thanks…”

“But I’m still curious about how trying to sell cotton compares to first time driving in terms of craziness.”

Rolling her eyes, Applejack chuckled. “Ah have a cousin who lives in Fillydelphia; name’s Pianosa Prairie. One year, he took half his farmland to grow cotton, ended up with about thirty five thousand pounds of it. However, that was the year cotton’s market price got so low that the cotton seeds were more expensive than cotton itself. Ah go up there after hearin’ about Prairie’s troubles and thinkin’ Ah can help, but when Ah actually get there Ah find him tryin’ to sell chocolate covered cotton!”

Sandalwood’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? Was he _that_ desperate?”

“Eeyup. But when your entire livelihood and property are restin’ on the sale of worthless material, Ah can’t really blame him for it.”

“So, what happened?”

Applejack made a large smile. “Ah eventually came up with the idea of using all that cotton to make fake sheep decoys, which were able to be sold to areas that were havin’ serious timberwolf invasion problems. Managed to get rid of every last pound of the stuff and still turn a profit, along with threatenin’ Pianosa to never grow cotton again.”

The tan pony was stunned. “That actually worked?”

“Yep, everythin’ turned out good for Pianosa, and whatever is good for Pianosa, is good for the Apple Family.”

* * *

Apple Bloom stalked the streets. She was a werewolf, so like it or not she was now a predator. To be a predator was to be a good predator or die. So right now she was stalking her prey. Within her mind she was a vicious creature, silently following her mark to a point where she could strike and feast upon its innards.

Everypony else saw regular, not-at-all-monstrous-looking Apple Bloom pretending to be a cat with her two noisy friends following right behind her. Some of the ponies did stare for a few moments, but all eventually just stopped bothering. It was the CMC, they were just kids, as long as nopony got hurt they weren’t really being a nuisance, so they didn’t require much attention.

To Apple Bloom, though, this was serious werewolf training. Sure, she knew other ponies were watching her, but her target wasn’t aware of her presence. Of course, choosing a bright green-and-gold phoenix that was attracting attention from all over town as a stalking target probably wasn’t the smartest idea ever. Worse, it was only around five o’clock, which meant it was snack time, and today Apple Bloom was _very_ hungry. Her stomach loudly voiced its consent with her self-assessment.

“Alright, you can’t be doing _that_ later,” commented Scootaloo, quickly jotting down notes on the accompanying pad.

“Well, _that_ will be taking place after dinner. Right now, I think we should continue after snack time.” Replied Apple Bloom, standing back up and walking over to take her place in the wagon attached to Scoot’s scooter. “I don’t know about you guys, but I could go for some milkshakes!”

“I have no argument with that!” agreed Scoot, rocketing off with friends in tow towards the local malt shop. She continued to talk while in transit; “But the important question is; do you think you’re ready?”

“Ah’m pretty confident in the trainin’ you two have put me through. Besides, it’s not like Ah’m gonna have to do anythin’ extreme tonight, just runnin’ mainly. But you’re sure that the storm will take place tonight?”

“That’s what Rainbow Dash said to me earlier,” confirmed Scootaloo, “I will admit that now I’m not so sure about you doing this, but I’ll back you up if there’s no other way.”

Apple Bloom’s reply was in a dead serious tone; “She insulted mah parents. They may have died in the blizzard, but they didn’t die because they were stupid. Ah can’t let that insult stand without retribution.”

Sweetie was decidedly worried. “Apple Bloom, are you sure you’re up for this?”

“Yes, Sweetie, Ah think Ah am!” said AB a bit more forcefully than she needed to. When she realized it, her tone became more gentle. “Ah’m sorry, mah temper is somewhat worse, a side-effect of you-know-what, but Ah still shouldn’t have said that like Ah did.”

She got a comforting hug from the unicorn in return. “It’s okay, you’ll be better about it eventually. Oh, hey, we’re at the malt shop! They better have peppermint swirl this time!”

“Not if I get it first!” challenged Scootaloo, sparking a dead heat between the three fillies to get in the door first. To the surprise of both the speedy Pegasus and physically-augmented werewolf, Sweetie won.

* * *

From a distance, Raspberry Beryl watched the three fillies who had been stalking her change course and ride away to somewhere else. Had they realized she and Heliodor had been aware of them the whole time? She couldn’t be sure, but the fact all three of them had been younger sisters of element bearers worried her, especially Sweetie Belle as she was Rarity’s sister. If the filly unicorn had been doing some spying and spoke bad of Beryl to Rarity, it could cost the reddish unicorn the biggest buyer of her gems.

The yellow, bow-wearing filly, however, was slightly more worrying. If memory served, that was the filly named Apple Bloom, younger sister of the honest Applejack. But it wasn’t the lineage that was troubling Beryl. There had been a slight feeling she detected around the earth pony filly, a very familiar one. Only problem was that familiarity was through something no earth filly ever should even be mentioned in the same sentence with.

“Uh, ma’am?” asked the pear vendor. “Are you going to buy my pears or not?”

“Huh? Oh! I’m so terribly sorry, it’s just that those ponies-”

“You mean the Cutie Mark Crusaders? They’re generally harmless, so don’t worry. Heck, the yellow one? She’s the youngest of the local Apple Family branch. When I learned who she was, I was sure she was going to call in her bigger siblings to break my kneecaps as punishment for trying to sell pears in their territory!”

“W-what!?” whimpered a now-scared Raspberry, the implications of the apparent Apple Family Mafia breaking the kneecaps of ponies they didn’t like possibly meaning even worse physical punishments for those who did far worse than just sell pears in apple country.

“Oh, _perdona me_ , I don’t mean to scare you. The Apples are actually extremely nice ponies, they even buy some of my pears when I have some for sale.”

“Ah, okay, great, that’s a relief! But the total I need to pay for the pears?”

“For _quattro_ pears, that will be _otto_ bits.”

“Um, come again?” asked Beryl, with a hint of panic returning in her voice, “I don’t know what _otto_ bits are…”

To the surprise of both ponies, Heliodor suddenly sprang into action from his perch on the pear cart. He flew down to his owner’s saddlebags and pulled out exactly eight bits, which he deposited on the edge of the cart.

The pear vendor was impressed. “I must wonder where you got such a bird, miss! I do not mean to offend, but it is amusing how he knows how to count in Roaman while you apparently do not.”

Raspberry just blushed. “To be perfectly honest, Heelee usually is the one who keeps me on track from day to day!” Reaching out to her bird so he could land on her foreleg, she brought him in close to nuzzle. “I truly don’t know what I’d do without him.” Once done nuzzling, she lifted him up so that he could perch on her horn.

“For a brilliant bird such as he, his beauty pales in comparison to the companionship he clearly gives to you. As it is, I must go sell my pears elsewhere in Ponyville, so a good day to you, miss!”

The two ponies bid farewell before parting ways, the pear vendor going deeper into the town while Raspberry headed for home on the outskirts. Shopping in Ponyville had been stressful, as always, but even though it had just been a few months here, Beryl felt like this could finally be able to put down some roots instead of just wandering the country like she used to.

“I have a good feeling about this town, Heelee. Yeah, my biggest customer is an Element, but as long as we stay on her good side I think she could be our best bet for…oh, what is the matter with you this time?” The bird on her horn seemed depressed, as if having watched somepony important to him die horribly while he could do nothing to stop it. Of course, Beryl knew why. “Heelee, is this about how Pear Blossom said your inner beauty is more than your outer beauty?”

The bird nodded, to which Beryl just laughed.

“You are just _so_ full of yourself, aren’t you? I mean, that was a _compliment_ and you’re taking it hard because she said something was better than your appearance. But I do agree with her.”

Heliodor was shocked, his dramatic expression giving Beryl more cause to laugh.

“Oh, stop it! Your coat is still magnificent, as always you vain little firebird, but you truly are even more beautiful in how you’ve been my best friend ever since we met. After everything we’ve been through, all the towns we can’t go back to because of-“

Beryl would have continued had it not been for the sudden, panicked cries of a young colt coming into earshot.

“Help! Help! Somepony, help!”

Against better judgment, unicorn and bird rushed over to the cry of distress. What they found was, thankfully, nothing too serious. The source of the cries had been a very young colt, bearing an interesting white coat that had brown spots all over him, but didn’t seem to have anything wrong going on with him.

“Is everything alright?” asked Beryl.

“My ball! It’s stuck in that tree!” replied the colt in a partial accent that betrayed his Trottingham origins.

Looking up, the ball was soon located in a medium-sized tree nearby. It was yellow with a blue stripe running through the middle and a red star on opposite sides.

“C-could you get it down for me, please? With your magic?”

For a unicorn like Beryl, it would have been an extremely easy case of using telekinesis to move the ball. However, while Beryl had telekinesis like any other unicorn, she really did not like using it in public. Bad things tended to happen when she had to use magic in public. But she also had Heliodor.

“I could use my magic,” began Raspberry, “but I think it would be more interesting if my pet went to fetch it instead. Heelee?”

On command, the phoenix launched from Beryl’s horn into the air and within seconds had retrieved the ball without puncturing it with his talons, letting it fall to the ground near the colt.

“Thanks!” shouted the young pony, who bounced his ball towards the house across the street and into an open door, where a pony that was presumably his mother was waiting. The mother figure waved at Beryl. Beryl waved back. The mother then closed the door, leaving the unicorn and phoenix alone in the world again. However, having been able to perform a simple act of kindness brought a smile to Beryl’s muzzle, something she wished she could do more often in her life. A sudden weight on her forehead signaled Heliodor’s return to his horn roost.

“C’mon, let’s go make supper.” Together, phoenix and unicorn walked down the street back home wordlessly, needing nothing in the world but each other’s company.

* * *

While weather in Equestria was usually always clear and pleasant, there was always the need for the pegasus weather teams to generate a superstorm or two to keep the natural balance of things in line. This year, the Ponyville weather team had whipped up one of the largest in years, so Rainbow had to have a town-wide curfew that nopony was to be allowed outside during the storm due to how fierce it was. Before midnight, the storm was released, and with it came driving rains, unbelievably bright flashes of lightening, and thunder so loud it was like giant drills were piercing the heavens.

To Diamond Tiara, it was extremely poor weather to try and sleep in. Between the noise of the rain and thunder, and her normally dark room constantly being lit up every so often by the lightening, how anypony was expected to sleep in this was beyond her ability to comprehend.

Giving up on sleep, DT absent mindedly decided to wander over to the window. Maybe the rhythmic tapping of the heavy rain might actually help her doze off if she was close enough to it. At the windowsill, she placed her forelegs on the edge and proceeded to stare into the night.

“Bah. I don’t understand why Dad couldn’t have hired some unicorn to put a spell around the house that would give us an insulating shield. That sounds like so much more efficient use of the family funds instead of suing the Equestrian Labor Board to raise the minimum wage. I mean-what the?!”

She’d almost missed it. In the flash of lightning, there had clearly been a shape of some sort illuminated. Curiosity getting the better of her, DT leaned closer, but not too far. The lightning flashed again, this time confirming the shape.

Unfortunately, it was a shape resembling the outline of the one pony Tiara hated most of all.

“I swear, if this is bucking Apple Bloom trying something funny…” swore Diamond Tiara as she threw caution to the wind and got right up to the window glass, muzzle to reflective surface. Whatever was out there, they were going to learn they did not mess with a sleep-deprived Diamond Tiara.

The lightning flashed a third time, giving a brief, fully lighted look for DT at the figure separated from her only by glass. As she’d thought, it _had_ been Apple Bloom, but this time something was horribly wrong. The yellow filly’s fur and mane were an absolute mess, both from the rain and as if she hadn’t shed her fur coat in years, but that was the least scary part. To DT’s horror, “Apple Bloom” had her two forehooves on the glass…except they weren’t hooves. Canine paws, the pads on the bottoms clearly visible and the claws touching the window glass, were stuck to the outside. But worst of all easily had to be the face. The only thing even recognizable was the pair of eyes; still golden in color but now seemingly glowing. Below that, the muzzle was undoubtedly canine in appearance, complete with a little black dog nose, but all DT could focus on was the evil grin the thing on the other side was giving her. A grin full of what appeared to be sharp teeth meant for nothing but tearing into young, supple prey like fillies and ripping flesh from bone.

But in a split second the illumination ended, casting all into blackness once again. Shocked, DT was sure she was just hallucinating, right up until the thing that was Apple Bloom but wasn’t Apple Bloom spoke in the most horrifyingly bad husky voice ever.

“Peek-a-boo, I _see_ you!”

Diamond Tiara’s scream woke every single pony in the house. Filthy Rich was the first on the scene and didn’t even bother opening the door, choosing to just slam into it and knock it off its hinges. He’d buy another one, doors were cheap. His daughter’s life was not. The door now rendered useless as an obstruction, he found the whimpering form of his baby girl in the farthest corner of the room, in the fetal position and mumbling incoherently to herself.

“Tiara? Tiara! Are you okay?”

‘”M-m-monster! W-window!” was all she could manage between the sobs. Moving to cradle his daughter, he instructed his bodyguard to investigate. However, when the bodyguard looked, there was no shape at the window, with nothing to indicate there ever had been a shape there to begin with.

For Diamond, she would spend the rest of the night trying to pull herself ever closer into her father’s embrace, fearing that the Apple Bloom Monster would re-emerge should he leave. Eventually, she fell asleep, but was then moved to the master bedroom lest she wake up again all alone. To the rest of the ponies, it would all be chalked up to a fillyhood nightmare that couldn’t have hurt a fly. To the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who were spending the night at Scootaloo’s house, Apple Bloom’s return fifteen minutes later after DT’s scream was cause for silent celebration.

And a quarter mile away from the mansion that Apple Bloom had terrorized, Fair Vista laughed without fear of anypony hearing her. After all, now she knew the first ally she would need to draft to her cause.


	32. Book2 Ch.7 Ancient History

Rise of the Furball Chapter 7: “Ancient History”

  


The Everfree Forest. To the majority of ponies, it is a place full of monsters and hostile feeling that rarely are there ponies who would be willing to venture into it. Furthermore, because nopony knew what could be even found in the Everfree besides monsters, flowers that can change one’s physical attributes in a way that some would see as humorous, and the abandoned ruins of Castle Everfree, there was no reason to ever brave the dangers in the first place.

Which is why practically everypony in Ponyville still didn’t get how Zecora could feel comfortable living in the forest, although the zebra would argue back with something along the lines of _“Why do ponies who are so scared of the forest even live near it in the first place?”_

But what ponies wouldn’t understand is that Zecora had lived in dangerous environments such as the Everfree since birth. A native hailing from the wilds of Zebrabwe, she had come to Equestria in the pursuit of clues to ancient Zebra soothsayers and alchemists who wandered all over the land of ponies. Her initial forays into amateur archeology back home had led her to believe the remnants of what had been the Equestrian capital contained such things, hence she put down roots near a small settlement called Ponyville and attempted to set up shop as an alchemist herself, while in her off-time she could go off and uncover the tales of yore. It had been a rocky start, with the entire town being devoid of life every time she tried to visit, but after some misconceptions had been cleared up thanks to the help of a particular filly, Zecora was able to become a part of the town’s society and offer her services to everypony.

Currently, Zecora made her way towards the near-forgotten ruins of what had been Equestria’s seat of power. She had intentions to explore what looked like a partially-untouched chamber within the castle itself that she’d made note of in her previous visit, for the presence of some Zebra mask décor indicated it had once been an alchemy work area of the nature she was skilled in. Additionally, she was on the hunt for a specific flower known as the “Moon’s Tear”, so named for their first recorded appearance being the day after Nightmare Moon was banished, and which to Zecora’s knowledge could only be found naturally at the Everfree ruins. The flower itself carried a nectar that would be necessary to finish up the large order Sandalwood had placed for substitute aromatherapy supplies.

_“Even in decay, it is beautiful,”_ Zecora mused in her native tongue, speaking to herself about the ruins coming into view. Indeed, although the majority of the castle was gone, lost to time either from the massive battle between night and day that had occurred within or a thousand years of erosion since, the masonry and detailing were still as magnificent from a distance as they were up close when the castle once stood as a beacon of prosperity to all ponykind. Even the surrounding settlements seemed to have some kind of imbued perfection to them, as they too appeared pleasing to the eye despite none of them being suitable for even shelter from the rain.

Except _that_ one, Zecora noted. At the end of the street she was stepped foot onto was a house that looked like all the others. Except it had a solid roof on it. And a door. Curious, Zecora trotted her way towards the oddity, a sign of life in an otherwise dead city.

However, she didn’t get far before every single strand of fur and mane stood on end. There was a _bad_ feeling about this place. Many years ago, when she was but a filly herself, there had been an ancient shrine not too far from her village’s western edge. Her mother forbade ever going to the shrine, but to a young filly curiosity would be worth it. Or so she thought, for she didn’t even get reasonably close before immediately turning and running non-stop all the way to curl up on her mat in fear. That shrine, she would learn, had been the site of evil, dark magic practices performed by a zebra cult long since extinguished, but the power of their magic had been embedded into the shrine’s very foundations. Despite having never gone back there, with decades between the event and now, Zecora knew the feeling she had felt then was the exact same as the one she felt now. There was a presence of dark magic here, possibly even in that house, and Zecora didn’t dare go any further lest she discover what her younger self narrowly avoided.

Having been frozen in place mid-step, she suddenly picked up the audible hoofsteps of somepony approaching. Without a sound, Zecora bolted behind cover so that the approaching individual would not see her. But curiosity got the better of her and so she peeked around the edge to try and catch a glimpse.

There, walking towards the house, was the figure. Clad in a dark black cloak, all Zecora could make out from the shape was that it was a pony of some kind, the coat possibly a blood red coloration, but the face was obscured in darkness and any contours of the pony disguised by the apparel. Suddenly, the figure’s head turned to look right in the direction of Zecora, prompting the zebra to shrink back, but not long enough for Zecora to stop watching. Poking her head around again, she saw the figure was only looking around to see if there was anypony else, seemingly oblivious to Zecora’s presence. But the biggest shock came next, as the figure’s head suddenly had a magic aura appear from within the hood. While extremely hard to make out, it was obvious the aura was a bubbly, purple-colored mass, unquestionably that of a dark magic practitioner. The door to the house became enshrouded in that same, threatening aura, possibly to let the unicorn in.

The fear of dark magic, not felt since she’d been a child, rising up now, Zecora noiselessly slinked off, all curiosity having been killed off in favor of survival. She’d have to hang out in the ruins until she was sure the figure was either asleep or had left, but even then Zecora would leave on the other side of the ruins. She’d also need to gather up as much of the Moon’s Tear plant as possible, maybe even try to grow her own, because the presence of dark magic suddenly made Castle Everfree that much more dangerous to even the one who called the Everfree Forest home.

* * *

“Okay, so school is normally not that exciting, I’ll admit,” said Scootaloo, “but didn’t today seem…extra-boring or what?” Ponyville Elementary was done for the day, so the Crusaders once again headed for their base of operations.

“Yeah, it was like everypony was on Ritalin or something!” agreed Sweetie Belle, getting confused looks from her friends. “What? Is there something on my face?”

“Er, no…” replied Apple Bloom with a raised eyebrow, “it’s just that Ah don’t know what ‘Ritalin’ is, and Ah’m pretty sure Scoot doesn’t either.” The winged filly nodded confirmation.

“Oh, well…” started Sweetie, “to be honest, I don’t know what Ritalin is either. Rarity just said I need to take it, since it apparently makes hyperactive fillies and colts all dull, boring and obedient, but then she changed her opinion when she remembered one of its side effects involves seeing multiple Pinkie Pies constantly.”

“Are you sayin’ that one time the army of Pinkie Pies that crashed the barn raisin’ last year was only because mah entire family was on that Ritalin stuff?!” said Apple Bloom, horrified, “Includin’ mahself!?”

“Nah, that was the whole deal over the mirror pool Pinkie overused to try and have as much fun with everypony as possible.”

“Oh. Well, that’s a relief. Ah already have to take those stupid vitamins at night accordin’ to Granny. They’re so big that it’s like they’re meant for somethin’ larger than a pony!”

“You have to take Sweetie Drops, too?” asked Scootaloo, “Aren’t they just the worst?”

“Yeah, Ah just don’t see how anypony is supposed to take ‘em! But then again, Ah’d rather have that pill to swallow instead of havin’ to be Diamond Tiara last night!” laughed Apple Bloom.

“Oh, yeah, her absence from school today!” remembered Sweetie with a grin, “I believed you when you said she woke the entire house up with the screaming, but being too afraid to come to school?”

“Well, mystery solved about school being boring, no Tiara to make all the drama!” chortled Scootaloo, namely at her own unintentional rhyme. “Did you see Silver trying to be twice as troublesome to make up for Diamond’s absence? I almost feel bad for her in that she really can’t do it on her own. Not feeling sorry for whatever you did to Diamond, though, Apple Bloom. She really had it coming.”

Apple Bloom just laughed again. “Ah actually didn’t do that much, the storm and mah appearance probably did most of the work. Here, when we get to the treehouse Ah’ll show both of y’all how to scare a wanna-be princess!”

Minutes later, the CMC were settled in the far corner of Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie and Scoot were instructed by Apple Bloom to sit in front of the treehouse window facing away from the farm, while the earth filly went to be on the other side of said window.

“Alright…” prepared Apple Bloom, whispering to herself so her friends wouldn’t know of her insecurity of what she was going to do, even though at this point they already knew about it pretty well. “Ah’m not gonna whine, Ah’m not gonna yell, Ah can do this…” With a deep breath, Apple Bloom focused on turning into her wolf form.

Despite the pain she’d gone through during the first transformation, subsequent instances where she willingly transformed in front of her friends had seen the pain level decrease. Right now, as she could feel her muzzle getting longer and her hooves becoming paws, it was a pain akin to almost a rough massage.

“Mrrrrr…” moaned Apple Bloom, letting the feeling wash over her, the noise mostly coming from her throat. Re-evaluation of the pain now seemed to have it feel somewhat pleasurable. She still had to maintain absolute secrecy about her lycanthropy, but as it was she couldn’t see what had been so bad about this for Applejack, aside from having an immortal, thousand-year old werewolf wanting to make her his wife.

Then her stomach rumbled. _Right. That too._ She thought. As Applejack had gone to great lengths in describing, Apple Bloom had found she was developing a need to eat meat. A sickening thought, especially to a filly. However, while Applejack had been forced to rely on Fluttershy as a source, Apple Bloom had discovered a stopgap method to help control the hunger pangs, unknowingly having discovered it wasn’t the actual meat so much that she desired but the taste. She happened to have that stopgap available in the treehouse, but it could wait a little longer. The demonstration wouldn’t take long.

“Hey, Apple Bloom!” called out Scootaloo, “I thought you said this wouldn’t take much prep-AHH!”  
The orange filly was cut off by the sudden appearance of a now canine-like earth pony filly, bow still in her mane, hitting her paws on the window without warning and saying “Peek-a-Boo, I see you!” The expression on her face was downright terrifying with the teeth and inequine shape, the paws having actual claws on the end of the nubs even moreso, and to anypony without nerves of steel would have been a sight worth screaming about once her husky voice registered in their eardrums.

Unless, of course, the ‘audience’ to such a sight were already well-knowing of the other pony on the other side of the window and fully aware it was just an act. Such was the case with the non-cursed CMC members who, after a brief moment of terror, started laughing. Apple Bloom couldn’t help but start laughing herself as she walked back into the treehouse interior.

“Now, Ah know that wasn’t _exactly_ like how Ah was able to do it with Tiara, but Ah think y’all get the gist of it,” Apple Bloom drawled, the huskiness in her voice lowered to its natural werewolf level instead of the strained version she’d just used.

“I have to admit, that was pretty scary, even though we knew you were going to do it!” gasped Scootaloo in-between spurts of laughter. “Tiara would have been scared out of her mind by that, yet you said something about it being made better because of the storm?”

“Eeyup. Ah actually managed to time mah appearance with the lightning flashes, so she never really got a good look at me,” replied the werewolf, who had at this point opened a drawer in one of the few furnishings in the treehouse, pulling out a bag of dog biscuits.

Sweetie Belle noticed, her laughing immediately being toned down to just heavy breathing. “Uh, Apple Bloom? Aren’t those Winona’s?”

“Sorta.” Replied Apple Bloom, opening the bag and transferring some of the contents from the packaging to her mouth. “This is a spare bag Ah found in the kitchen, there’s still like, three fourths left in the main bag. Winona is family, probably more so to me now than Ah’d care to admit, what with this werewolf thing Ah have an’ all. No way Ah’d steal somethin’ from her outta greed.”

“Wait, are those _meat_ flavored dog snacks?” asked Scootaloo, having stopped laughing herself and raising an eyebrow at her werewolf friend.

“Bacon, to be precise. Ah know, it’s weird, but…it’s the only way Ah know how Ah can stop wantin’ to eat real meat. Ah think it might be just the flavor that Ah need to taste, doesn’t matter if it’s _fake_ meat flavoring either, and these are really more like crackers so Ah see no problem in eatin’ em. Gotta say Ah understand _why_ Winona likes these so much.” Apple Bloom then took another hoofful of the doggy treats and ate them. She moved to take a third, but the bag was suddenly snatched from her paws by Sweetie.

“I think that’s enough for now,” chided the unicorn, folding the top of the bag closed. “While it probably is a good thing these are an alternative to, well, actual meat, you can’t get addicted to these or simply eat the entire bag in one sitting. You’ll simply end up needing another bag even faster, which I’m sure your family is going to notice if you keep bringing home doggy treat bags that mysteriously disappear the second they enter this treehouse.”

“Yeah,” replied Apple Bloom, who slowly shifted back to her regular self. “You got a point there.”

Scootaloo then had an idea. “Hey! Maybe we could use those treats for-“ She was cut off by a deadly glare from Apple Bloom.

“Don’t you even _suggest_ what Ah think you were gonna say. The trainin’ thing was alright, but Ah’m not gonna allow mahself to be psychologically manipulated through the reward of treats simply ‘cause Ah’m more or less part canine now. Ah don’t need to be influenced by the reward of treats simply so Ah can be potty trained!”

“Uh, let’s change the subject, shall we?” interjected Sweeite, noting Apple Bloom was getting worked up by her rant, with a side effect of her gradually changing back into a wolf. Her teeth were already looking slightly pointier and her muzzle longer. “I mean, I’m looking at all of our flanks, and I don’t see cutie marks!”

“Yeah, we’re the CMC, we should be getting back to our mission!” exclaimed Scootaloo. Apple Bloom confidently nodded, her slow changes into wolf form beginning to revert. “I think today we should go try being bagel bakers!

With no objections, the treehouse exploded with the shouts of **“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER BAGEL BAKERS, YAY!”** from three excitable fillies.

* * *

Two hooves carefully maneuvered small vials of unknown substances above a flask filled with a third mystery fluid.

“Easy…easy…”

With practiced care, the left vial was precisely tilted long enough for an exact amount of its contents to flow into the flask. The right vial was soon subjected to the same for a slightly longer period. Almost immediately the flask’s contents turned from a sickeningly brown shade to a beautiful blue, the scene of blueberries wafting from inside.

“Phew, still got my touch!” sighed Sandalwood, leaning back in her chair. While she’d asked Zecora to make a lot of stuff for her aromatherapy, Sandalwood had a personal pride in that some of her materials were actually made from her own recipes. After all, while she was employed as an aromatherapist, her true talent was her skill of creating and combining scents for aromatheraputic use as well as perfumes. The process of making things with certain scents, however, was a time consuming process without the aid of industrial capital, so she resorted to mass-produced counterparts to keep her services affordable and profitable unless it was her own custom creation. Her perfumes, on the other hand, were unmatched by anything commercially available, but due to the difficulty she had making them because of the alchemy involved, she only created perfumes as gifts to friends and family. Right now she was working on what was currently her best perfume she could make; Rimefrost Blueberry , an uplifting scent perfume that never failed to make everypony around the pony wearing it be in a better mood. It was a gift for Zecora, in addition to the payment for all the materials, as a thank you for the assistance in her time of need.

Only, now she realized she needed an empty perfume bottle to put it in.

“Damn, _knew_ I was forgetting something!” swore Sandy to nopony in particular. Lyra was off at her new job, so the house for the most part was left all to Sandalwood during these periods. While she had returned to work, Zecora had only been able to make some of the requested items, forcing Sandalwood to restrict her times and services. Thankfully, of the things Zecora had been able to make, she’d made a _lot_ of them to ensure they did not run out anytime soon. But even with the entire house open for investigation, the tan pony already knew there wouldn’t be a suitable perfume bottle for use to be found. _Maybe at the spa?_ She thought, _surely I’ve got some empty bottles that could be washed out for reuse._  
  
With no other choice, the pony threw on her saddle bags and walked out the door. It would have been quick and easy to use the car as transport to and from the spa, but without Lyra’s magic the vehicle was useless. Sandalwood decided it wasn’t important anyway, she’d probably been bad about her sugar intake again and must have put on some weight during her time off, thus walking would be the healthier choice.

Passing the local bagel shop, which had dark smoke fogging the lower floor and pouring from the uppermost windows, the aromatherapist made her way into the town proper. It was pretty late, the spa probably already having closed for the day, but with her staff key Sandalwood could get in no problem. Still, it was sort of unnerving to see Ponyville drawing close to evening, where the streets were beginning to empty as vendors packed up and stores changing OPEN signs to the reverse CLOSED side. Lyra probably would be home when Sandalwood returned.

_I should have left a note_ she thought, _but then again I’m only going to be gone for a few minutes._  
  
Having arrived at the spa, she let herself in. Admittedly, when the lights were not on and not a soul could be found inside, the Ponyville Spa was actually sort of terrifying. Not on the level of Everfree Forest terrifying, but it was still in Sandy’s interest to flip the lights. Curiously, on the desk there was a letter addressed to Sandalwood, which she moved to pick up and open.

“’ _Dear Sandalwood,’”_ read the addressed, “ _I wasn’t sure if you were at home today, so I left this note for you where I know it would reach you eventually. A good friend of mine, Raspberry Beryl, is in dire need of some form of relaxation for stress she is visibly suffering from. What is causing the stress is beyond me, maybe it’s just her extremely timid nature, but I do feel your expertise as an aromatherapist would be most welcome to her. Please contact me at your leisure about this, since I know your offerings differ on what treatments are to be given, but although she means well Razz would never admit she needs something relaxing. However, I believe I can diagnose what she needs, hence why we should talk._  
  
 _Sincerely,_  
  
 _Rarity._  
  
Sandalwood frowned. She knew _of_ Raspberry Beryl. The unicorn had only arrived in town three months ago, from where nopony knew, but in the time between then and now she became known for three things; being better at acting like Fluttershy than Fluttershy herself was, her amazing ability to find and extract high quality gems all by herself, and most notably that green-and-gold phoenix who liked to perch on her horn. In Sandalwood’s opinion, the mare needed _psychological_ therapy, not aroma-based therapy. But, it was a request from her friend Rarity, who had nothing but the purest of intentions for anypony. She probably was going to pay for it, too.

_Who knows, maybe Rarity knows something I don’t. She’s apparently the only one Raspberry even talks at length to, anyway,_ thought Sandalwood, who by that point had retrieved an empty perfume bottle and clicked out the lights. She’d get in touch with Rarity tomorrow to discuss the matter. Right now, however, she was more interested in bottling up that perfume and getting dinner started.

* * *

Even though she was a princess, whose time was now limited due to all the princess-in-training stuff, Twilight Sparkle was every bit the bookish intellectual she’d been since birth. So, with the night off, Twilight decided the most fun thing to do was learn about something else. Namely, what the story was with the so-called green phoenix that was appearing in Ponyville. Arrangements to meet with Raspberry Beryl, the pony allegedly taking care of the bird in question, were drafted up to be part of Twilight’s next downtime period where she could just hang out in Ponyville with her friends. But that was still some time away, so the purple princess did the best she could in the meantime. Books on phoenix biology and psychology littered her private bedroom, while Owlowiscious sat on a gold birdstand, ready to help the princess in any way he could.

“Alright, Owlie,” said Twilight, using the shorter nickname she’d created for her pet after the royal scribes threatened to quit on the grounds the owl’s full name was too hard to spell, “I need you to perch on my horn!”

“Who?” hooted Owlie, raising an eyebrow at the sudden, strange request.

“Yeah, I know it’s sort of odd, but I just need you to do it for a few seconds, alright?”

“Who” he replied, flapping his wings for lift and gliding over to Twilight, settling down on her horn with some extreme difficulty.

“Offoffoffoffoff!” cried Twilight, to which Owlie immediately left her head to take back his roost. He looked hurt, as if he’d harmed his mistress in some way. Twilight noticed and immediately walked over to comfort the bird, although still wincing in pain. “No, no, it’s nothing you did, Owlie, I should have known it wouldn’t have worked.”

“You know, I believe Celestia tried that with her pet before, while trying to raise the sun.” said a voice out of nowhere, “same results, only you weren’t trying to cast a powerful spell even though I’m sure that’s what you were going to try and do.”

**“DISCORD!”** shouted Twilight angrily. “Where are you?!” Her answer came when under the locked door flowed an eerie dark purple mass that looked like it would consume all that it touched. To regular ponies it would look like the fabled smooze, a magic-absorbing substance only the most powerful magic users could get rid of. To anypony who was aware of Celestia’s actions over the past year, such as Twilight, it was a reformed chaos entity being himself. Indeed, he didn’t even keep up the charade beyond the last bit of him coming under the door, for the smooze rose up into the shape of a sharply dressed unicorn. A brown coat, green eyes, two-tone gray mane and tail, and a wax-sealed scroll cutie mark completed the look, giving no indication of the true creature within.

“For the record, princess,” said the disguised dragonequis, “I was only on the other side of the door fully intending to knock because I was going to ask about something completely different. These doors aren’t exactly soundproof, you know, and if you _were_ doing things of a much more private nature-“

“What do you mean by that?” inquired the annoyed alicorn.

“I _could_ go into detail,” continued Discord, not missing a beat, “but this is a teen rated story and it’s not important to the plot anyway.”

“What!? I don’t understand a thing you-”

“Going back to the original discussion point; if you _were_ doing something you didn’t want anypony to know about there would have been several layers of your magic forming a forcefield that would have prevented me from both hearing what you were doing _and_ entering this room. As it stands, all you were doing was asking a bird to sit on your horn. Far from doing something like trying to redecorate the castle through black magic, right?”

  


Twilight just sighed. “Okay, Discord, you have a point about my privacy habits. That aside, how would you know about birds perching on your horn? You normally have two, yet I don’t recall ever having seen you as a statue where birds used your horns as a roost.”

“I think it would be fairly obvious that birds tended to avoid going near my frozen form, my dear Twilight. I _am_ the embodiment of chaos on all levels, and although you may not perceive it on a more basic level, the birds certainly do. Maybe you should ask Fluttershy to explain it to you sometime.

“Still, we’re getting off track there. Back once again to the subject of birds-on-horns, Celestia surely told you of the time she tried it with Philomena, with disastrous results. What made you think you could do what she could not, with a bird who can’t negate its weight through magic?”

“I…I don’t know, really,” admitted the princess, letting her guard down some. “It’s just that there’s this phoenix I’ve been hearing about back in Ponyville-”

“-That’s green where it should be red and perches on the horn of a unicorn that cares for it like a pet?” finished Discord. Twilight shot him a look, prompting him to add, “Hey, just intuition.”

“Except I never mentioned the Phoenix was green,” countered Twilight.

At that revelation, Discord’s eyes went wide, but then he laughed. “And here I was thinking it was me who was leading you into revealing information. If you must know, Queen Faust had a green phoenix-“

“Verna, who was also Philomena’s mother,” interrupted Twilight, finding it rather enjoyable to be in reversed roles in regards to how the conversation started. “Princess Luna told me when I asked her about green phoenixes.”

“Indeed. I suspect Luna also told you about how after Queen Faust was no longer among those living on this plane of existence, Verna left the castle one day without warning, never to return to the egg she left. But what Luna couldn’t have told you was that Verna came to me on her last known trip. Before she returned to the rest of the wild phoenixes, her final duty was to convey a message Faust had left that had been addressed to me.” Discord’s tone had changed in the middle of his monologue, Twilight noted. By the end he seemed to be recollecting the last memory of a dear friend, since before only referred to Faust with her full title unlike Celestia or Luna, but his final mention of her name ignored formality.

“What was her final message to you?” inquired the princess, addressing Discord in a manner of respect, as if he was somepony she respected as highly as Celestia, instead of being cautious around as she was normally with him. He noted that with a small smile.

“As the Princess of Magic, which through some interpretations means you’re the Princess of Friendship, I believe you can respect my wish to keep the information in question privately between me and Faust, wherever she may be.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. Now, back on the topic _again_ , I know that Queen Faust actually let Verna sit on her horn from time to time. Something to do with their own little friendship, I guess, I never got the chance to ask as I was too busy causing glorious chaos elsewhere at the time. However, because Philomena isn’t a full blooded green phoenix, evidenced by her normal red coat, it’s possible she can’t do what Verna and this other phoenix can. I’d suggest you should go and investigate yourself, but I get the feeling you were going to do that anyway since it’s in your little hamlet of Ponyville.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yes, compared to how I’m going to leave this room, at least. Good night, Princess Sparkle.” The second he finished, Discord suddenly rose into the air even though his body didn’t move, not even the effects of gravity seemed to apply as he spun in the air, only to phase through the ceiling like a ghost.

Twilight just shook her head. “No wonder Pinkie Pie likes him, he’s just as random as she is, isn’t he?” she asked her pet. He hooted in agreement. “Now, since we can’t have you perch on my horn, we should probably get back to finding out what else we can about phoenixes!”

Yet, in the midst of all the research, Twilight kept Discord’s words in the back of her mind. She suspected he knew more about green phoenixes than he let on, but being Discord he wasn’t going to make it that easy. Then again, at least he’d been able to share some information freely this time that wasn’t in the form of a riddle.


	33. Book2 Ch.8 Give the Dog a Bone

Rise of the Furball Chapter 8: “Give the Dog a Bone”

If one were to describe Pinkie Pie, somepony would mention how she looks like cotton candy given pony form and life. They would mention her desire to make everypony in town her friend, to the point of being stalker like in her methods. They would mention her expertise as _the_ party planning pony extraordinare in all of Ponyville. They might even mention her little known origins as a filly on a rock farm who gained her cutie mark through making her family smile for what must have been the first time in their lives.

The word _serious_ would not appear in those descriptions. Unless they were talking about Pinkie Pie at the present moment. Her face was almost inequine in how it was devoid of even the smallest hint of a smile, her eyes catching the light in some way as to make them appear fully white and hiding her bright blue peepers. Her forelegs were resting on the table in front of her, hooves folded in such a way as to making a frontal view of her face see nothing but her white eyes and the top of her muzzle.

“All of you…” she spoke in a very uncharacteristically deep voice, causing one of her addressees to whimper, “…need to understand the importance of this meeting. What we are here to do is-“

The dark room suddenly became lit up, revealing it to be nothing more than just the back storage room of Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie was sitting at the head of a table made up of a plywood sheet on top of boxes of sugar, around which sat Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy.

“Oh, sorry!” apologized Mrs. Cake, “I didn’t know you all were using this room.”

Pinkie just shrugged. “Not that big a deal, Mrs. Cake, I was probably going to turn them back on myself. The whole ‘menacing’ angle of meeting leadership isn’t my thing anyway.” She then reached over to pick up a bag of chocolate chips sitting nearby, throwing them over to Mrs. Cake.

“Thank you, dearie!” replied the portly blue pony, turning and leaving the back room.

“Anyway,” continued Pinkie, seemingly forgetting the intimidation factor she’d originally been going for, “Twilight’s coming back to Ponyville soon, so I want to make this the best ‘Welcome Back to Ponyville’ party _ever_! _”_

“But that’s what you said last time, remember?” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“Yeah, but it’s always good to aim _higher_ with these things. Plus, Twilight’s a princess, so there’s no excuse!”

“Don’t forget, everything needs to be perfectly aligned and proportioned, any streamers exactly perpendicular to each other at right angles, and an even amount on frosting on any cakes and baked goods,” Rarity reminded. “You all know what happened the time we tried throwing a beach themed party and she tried fixing the crab shaped cake because the right claw was bigger than the left one.”

A collective groan rung out at the mention of the crab. Rarity was _never_ going to let anybody forget that incident. It wasn’t so much at the actual event as it was Rarity constantly bringing it up, since nopony was going to forget the day Rarity’s hidden disgust of giant crabs ended up with her fighting what had been a simple cake in the middle of town.

“Well, um…” started Fluttershy, trying to avoid thinking about what Rarity had done to the cake-turned-crustacean, “why don’t we just hold a small party, just the six of us? I don’t think Twilight would want us to make this so grandiose because she’s a princess. If anything, she’ll probably prefer us just treating her as we did before her ascension.”

“You…you mean she doesn’t like my parties?” whimpered Pinkie, hair beginning to deflate. Even though Fluttershy didn’t mean anything like that, the mere implication that Twilight took offense to what Pinkie did best was enough to start the energetic mare sliding down a hill of depression.

Applejack took immediate action. “No no no no! That’s not what Fluttsy’s sayin’, Pinkie! What she meant was maybe this time, bigger _ain’t_ better. We all know how much you like to throw big parties, but Ah am in agreement with the idea a giant bash isn’t the way to go here. Plus, just because it’s smaller don’t mean it’s not just as special, it would be more…intimate, Ah guess?” AJ made a quick glance at Rarity to confirm the proper word choice, which the fabulous mare confirmed.

“Oh, okay, I can work with that!” chirped Pinkie, hair snapping back into its undefined natural state. “Especially since she did like the small scale party we threw for her that one time when we crashed the garden party.”

“Uh, no high society party crashing this time, either,” suggested Rarity.

“Nah, that’s not really my style. But what is my style is…” Pinkie leaned into the table, the other four mares following suit, and the smiles on their faces signified Twilight was going to have the best, small-scale party ever...or at least that's how it was originally planned to be, at any rate.

* * *

Over at school, the CMC were at the heart of a horrifying discovery that Scootaloo dug up in one of the old board games in the schoolhouse’s entertainment corner, meant for colts and fillies to play with on rainy days during recess.

“I knew this game was rigged, I just knew it!” declared Scoot, holding a card with questions listed on it.

“How? Nopony ever gets that far in the game before recess is over.” Pointed out Truffle Shuffle.

“Okay, answer this: ‘Who was the first pony to play the titular role in the original production of _The_ _Eye of Argon_?’”

Murmurs sounded from the gathered crowd of young ponies, but none of them answered. Scootaloo flipped the card over.

“Limelight Limerick. Seriously, has anypony even heard of a pony by that name?” An almost unanimous ‘no’ came from the crowd. “Thought so. But, before anypony says it’s just one bad question, let me read another.

Motioning for Apple Bloom, the earth filly drew a card from the box and handed it to Scoot. “Next question; what is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?”

More negative murmurs.

“42.” Silence then reigned, as if the crowd expected Scootaloo to keep going. “No, seriously everypony, that’s what is says the answer is.” To prove it, she handed the card into the crowd, where to their surprise she was correct in that 42 was the given answer.

“Dumb game!” grumbled Sweetie Belle, walking over to kick the box lightly. Little triangle pieces shaped like pizza slices momentarily went airborne before landing back in the box. Scootaloo retrieved the card, returning it to the deck before putting the lid back on the box to seal away the unfair contents.

Just then Cheerilee hastily came in through the door, prompting everypony else to rush to their seats.

“Apologies for being late, class, the spring in my alarm clock is losing tension and woke me up at the wrong time,” explained the teacher. There had been another reason why she was running late, but the students would figure that out soon enough. “Now, I’m sure we’ve all heard about what happened to Diamond Tiara a few days ago…”

Snickers suddenly became audible. Not all of the class was laughing, most notably Silver Spoon and, oddly enough, the CMC.

“…BUT _,_ whatever you may have heard, there is no evidence to suggest it was anything but just a bad nightmare. I’m sure you all have had experiences like that yourselves, right?” Cheerilee gave them a look that had them all shrink back slightly. “I thought so. Now, I want you to be nice to Diamond Tiara, she’s claimed to be alright enough to come back to school, and I don’t want any of you taking advantage of her.”

“Yes, Mrs. Cheerilee,” replied the class in stereotypical class monotone. Satisfied, Cheerilee walked over to the door and poked her head out. After what must have been a brief exchange of words, Cheerilee backstepped to hold the door open.

In stepped Diamond Tiara. However, to everyone’s surprise, she didn’t walk in with the attitude akin to a high society socialite, one who looked down on practically everything in Ponyville. Instead, she walked with a careful manner, slowly scanning the room as if there would be something in the dark corners that would leap out and attack her. She paused for a moment when she locked eyes with Apple Bloom, but the filly sitting at the desk did not mesh up with the thing from a few nights ago, so she resisted every urge to run from the schoolhouse screaming.

“Is everything okay?” inquired Cheerilee.

“N-n-no, I’m fine. I’ll g-go take my seat…” half replied, half whimpered Tiara, moving to take the empty desk next to Silver Spoon. The young gray mare looked with wide eyes at her friend, almost not recognizing Tiara with this new attitude. She’d have to talk with her in private later during recess to get the full story, since her attempt to visit the Rich Mansion after the incident just had maids turn her away.

Over in the CMC camp, hushed whispers were being traded.

“Wow, I knew you got her good but…wow,” whispered a stunned Sweetie.

“Yeah, I know we all said she deserved it, yet now I’m wondering if it was more than that,” Scootaloo added.

Apple Bloom said nothing. On the one hoof, she felt Diamond Tiara had deserved the whole ordeal. She’d put the CMC through so much trouble and grief over the years that the karmic backlash being delivered in one blow would appear to be a substantial amount. But on the other, she knew what it was like to be in Tiara’s horseshoes, to have that kind of fear. While the situation was different, it was Tiara’s expression that said enough. That fear she’d inflicted on the wealthy filly was as much as Apple Bloom’s fears that one night back in the Whitetail Woods, when she briefly was stripped of her identity as a pony.

For Diamond Tiara, however, who glanced up at the exact moment Apple Bloom’s compassionate eyes looked over at her, it was a different story. In those big, golden eyes, Tiara saw the monster from that night laughing maniacally at her misery. She didn’t know how the idea popped into her head, but the sinister glint in the gold meant Apple Bloom was hiding something. Was she truly just an ordinary filly, just blessed with social connections Tiara littered her Hearth’s Warming Eve wishlist with, or was there more to the story? There was only one way to find out.

Narrowing her eyes, DT looked over at Silver and whispered; “Got any plans later?”

Her heart skipping at the surefire sign DT was already back to normal, Silver eagerly shook her head from side to side.

“Good. Does your manor still have that large library in the back?”

Spoon’s shaking went from horizontal to vertical.

“Perfect. We have some reading to do later.”

* * *

Raspberry Beryl walked out the door of her home into the bright sunlight, breathing in the fresh air. On her back sat her saddlebags, full of various gems that had been organized by the pony she would be delivering them to. Heliodor then followed suit, soaring out of the door and taking perch on a nearby tree. He cooed concernedly when she locked the door with her magic.

“Oh, don’t worry; nopony’s going to see it,” Razz assured her pet. Not many ponies lived around where the unicorn and her phoenix dwelled, so there was no chance anypony would see her magic and…overreact.

Merely nodding, the young phoenix then left his perch and flew off towards the woods. One of the benefits of having a predatory bird as a pet, Raspberry had found out, was that they practically took care of themselves. Sure, she got a little queasy every time Heliodor came back with a half-eaten rodent in his beak, but she’d never had to deal with him forgetting to do his business where it wouldn’t bother anypony. Considering how often they’d had to change places of residence over the years, not to mention the troubles she had to go through on a daily basis, it was a blessing the closest thing she had to family for all these years was naturally so intelligent.

Sure enough, Heliodor came back, thankfully without a to-go meal, and took his regular perch on his owner’s horn. To his surprise, however, she shook her head slightly, indicating she did not want him there.

“Not right now, Heelee,” explained the unicorn, “your breath still smells like dead mouse.” He blushed and proceeded to simply hover alongside her while matching the pony’s speed. Truth be told, she just didn’t want him on her horn because her head was being weighed down already with thoughts of what she might possibly do today. One thing for certain was to try and stay on the good side of five specific ponies…or rather four specific ponies, and avoid the fifth one entirely. Rarity had shown signs of promise as being a strong supporter should things go the way they always had, with Rainbow Dash and Applejack _possibly_ being on the same side if they truly were the embodiment of Loyalty and Honesty. Fluttershy…well, considering Raspberry knew the entire town compared her to the pegasus because of both their similar demeanor, she was sure that in the event they finally met things would go okay. But Pinkie Pie…there was something _wrong_ with that pony, Raspberry knew, something far stranger than anything the gem peddler had ever gone through in her life. But whatever it was, it certainly would see through Raspberry’s lies and send everything crashing down.

_I can’t let that happen_ thought the red mare, _next to Heliodor the closest thing I even have to a friend is Rarity, and even beyond that Ponyville is the last town in Equestria where I can sell gems. If things go south again here, the only places left to me are the settlements in the dry lands. Maybe I can be an aide to the buffalo tribes in finding turquoise gems out there, but without proper hunting grounds Heliodor will die because of the lack of food, and although I know he’ll stick with me to the end I refuse to let my pain claim him as it has my mother and my childhood…_

Heliodor’s cries snapped Raspberry out of her trance, finding herself having been on auto-pilot and walked a good bit of the way to her first stop. While Rarity was, among other things, Raspberry’s main outlet for selling her gems, the fashionista was far from the only pony who called upon Raspberry’s services. But those other clients usually just wanted small diamonds or other tiny precious stones, which for the dirt cheap prices Raspberry offered them they couldn’t resist having some rubies to decorate a clock or a sapphire lined frame for the family photo. Rarely did anypony want something bigger, unless they were named Rarity. While the gray unicorn was the one the majority of the gems in Raspberry’s saddlebags were being sold to, Carousel Boutique was intentionally the last stop as to allow a little time for the unicorns to converse with each other. Granted, those times usually were cut short by Raspberry for any number of reasons and Rarity was the one who usually talked the whole time anyway, but today was the day Raspberry resolved to finally take up Rarity’s offer and stay for tea. Having never actually had the chance to drink tea, Raspberry was a mixed bag of emotions about trying something new.

“What do you think tea is like, Heelee?” she asked, having just made her last stop before the Boutique.

He cawed in manner that suggested he had no idea.

“Me neither, but apparently it’s what high society ponies drink all the time, apparently their blood is partly made up from the stuff if they drink it as often as Rarity says they do.” She noted Heliodor, now perched on her horn as usual, had stiffened slightly at the mention of the word ‘blood’. “Heelee, I’m just being figurative, if anything this could be the day where I can finally confide in somepony.”

The phoenix looked hurt.

“I said some _pony_ , last I checked the thing sitting on my head is a phoenix.”

Pleased at her elaboration, he smiled, but then as if realizing something horrible he quickly looked down at his caretaker, cooing with a concerned tone.

“And yes, your perch is a horn that _does_ belong to a pony, even if you’re the one who has to remind her of that now and again.”

The feeling of her pet rubbing his head against hers brought a smile to her face, one she kept on wearing until she came into view of the Boutique. More specifically, being able to see Rarity waiting outside of the building with a smile that clearly indicated something was in store for Raspberry. Unfortunately, surprises were not something Raspberry liked. It was a rare thing for surprises, much like whenever she had to do magic in view of other ponies, to ever turn out well. Worst of all, as the smile slowly fell from her face in realization, she considered the possibility she still wouldn’t be able to try tea.

* * *

The private library contained within the mansion Silver Spoon called home was smaller than the collection at Golden Oaks, but several factors were at play in Diamond Tiara’s decision to not go to the latter. First, Twilight’s hoofpicked successor for the job of Ponyville Librarian; a recent graduate from Celestia’s school by the name of Wisdom Seeker, was really, _really_ creepy and sometimes went off on so-called prophecies about the local mailmare Derpy Hooves and her involvement in some great journey or some nonsense. Everypony, Derpy included, was convinced he just had the hots for her. Diamond had made it a point to not go to the library until he eventually got replaced by somepony slightly saner. The fact he was put in that position because of the princess also was a reason to avoid Golden Oaks, since if there was something wrong with Apple Bloom, Applejack would know about it, so therefore Princess Twilight would know about it, and if DT walked into Golden Oaks with her current intentions there was no question Seeker would tell the princess, resulting in the Royal Guard standing outside the Rich residence the following morning.

Another reason is that Diamond Tiara was privy into a secret about Silver Spoon’s family. The first of their ancestors to have “Silver” in their name had been a blacksmith by the name of Silver Streak, who according to legend had founded a secret society dedicated to the eradication of all supernatural threats to the Equestrian populace; vamponies, werewolves, even the Slenderpony. The group had disbanded centuries ago, but if Silver Spoon was right some of the old research from those days had been preserved in the family archives.

“Are you sure there’s anything in those dusty writings about what’s going on with Apple Bloom?” worriedly asked the gray filly.

“I’m telling you, Silver; when I looked into those eyes, there was something dark and evil in them. As a professional in the fields of harassment and being rude to others, I think I should be able to tell when a pony’s eyes reflect a natural nature of them being jerks, like me, or if there’s darker forces at play.”

“Does your dad know about this?”

“Of course, he knows I’m going to be spending the night at your place. After my little ‘panic attack’ he thinks it would be good for my mental health or whatever if I get out of the Mansion.”

_More like a therapist would be better for your mental health_ thought Silver, but aside from this new obsession there was nothing significantly different about her friend, so it might as well be for the best to just treat it like a fad that would soon pass.

Soon, the two fillies were in the Silver Family library, busy looking for anything Diamond thought would be useful. Of course, since the crowned pony didn’t know _what_ she thought Apple Bloom was, anything that mentioned anything about ponies being actually monsters in disguise qualified. It was in the middle of one of Tiara’s monologues about how Apple Bloom may be an evil beast native to an area near Trottingham because of a new, secret addiction for imported Trottingham cheeses that Silver found something actually relevant.

“Hey, Tiara, you might actually have been on to something. Check this out.”

“That Apple Bloom actually _does_ need to eat twenty pounds of Wensleydale cheese a day?” the obsessive pink pony asked as she trotted over, getting an ‘are you bucking serious’ look from her friend.

“Well, I don’t think its _cheese_ she may be after, but something far worse. Read from here,” said the glasses wearing filly, gesturing with her hoof. Unknowingly, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara had stumbled upon information similar to that which, almost a year earlier, Sandalwood and Lyra had uncovered within the Crystal Castle. While the fillies didn’t have a member of the Apple Family that confessed to being a werewolf, or the personal research notes of King Sombra himself, the information Silver Spoon’s ancestors had recorded during the time when werewolves fought under the banner of Nightmare Moon strongly implied the youngest Apple had contracted lycanthropy as one by one the given behavioral changes matched up to Apple Bloom’s recent mannerisms.

“Look at this, when they were scouting out suspected werewolves, they noted that the ears of their targets were generally more wolf like, straighter up to the point instead of the rounded sides on normal ponies.” Mentioned Silver Spoon, rubbing her own ears with a hoof to further convey her point. “While I can’t remember off the top of my head, Apple Bloom’s ears have been looking a bit different compared to the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“Enh, can’t really say until we can get a good look at her ears,” replied Diamond. “This bit about how their tempers usually were noticeably increased if the pony’s attitude was known prior to becoming a werewolf…now _that_ sounds more like what’s been going on with her.”

“Do you think it might have been right before the trip to Whitetail Woods?”

“Can’t be. She humiliated me a few days before the weekend, although now that you mention it she was acting really strangely during the trip, so maybe it was a few days before that she somehow started being one of these…things?”

“Well, outside of whatever she did that ended up with her wearing that thing on her leg, we don’t know. Unless the injury that thing was for somehow turned her into a werewolf?”

“Gah!” shouted Diamond. “We’re never going to figure this out. Even if she isn’t a werewolf, the only way we’re going to figure this out is if we can stalk her like your old ancestors, but we don’t have the skills or the equipment!” With added frustration, she slammed her hooves against a bookcase, suddenly noting that one of the books she hit had somehow slid inward. The sounds of wheels on a track were heard as the bookcase suddenly slid back and sideways into a wall, revealing a hidden cache of dangerous looking weapons.

“Okay, I knew mom and dad were keeping secrets, but this is getting insane!” Silver Spoon yelped. “I mean, this stuff belongs in a museum! In fact, it’s probably all silver in those sharp blades, if they’re as old as they look; they’ll be worthless if they hit anything with enough force.”

Diamond Tiara looked at her friend in shock. “When did _you_ suddenly become an expert in metals?”

Silver just raised an eyebrow in response. “What, didn’t I tell you my special talent is being a silversmith? I mean, fine metalworking has been in my family for generations, why else do you think my family is the second richest in Ponyville, second only to yours? Seriously, did you think my cutie mark was representative of narcissism or something?”

Diamond Tiara thought it prudent to not comment on what she’d thought her friend’s cutie mark had possibly meant. Especially since her flank had been blank longer than Silver Spoon’s and in consideration as to what her tiara cutie mark meant. Instead, she went back to the subject of going old school on Apple Bloom’s behind. “Well, alright miss metalurg-whatever that word is, can any of this stuff be used?”

Silver shook her head. “The fact these things are preserved as well as they are is impressive, since as far as I know my bloodline is Earth pony up to the generation before these things were forged, but even with a magic protective coat my family probably paid unicorns to put on these years ago, silver is not known for its durability as weaponry even when newly minted due to its inherent malleability. A thousand years just makes the metal less sturdy if it isn’t reformed into something new to temper the shape.”

“Then why make weapons out of it if the very thing it’s supposed to be doing is what it _sucks_ at?!” shouted Tiara, confused as to why the wall of death instruments in front of her had just been explained as having been totally worthless as actual death instruments.

“Because silver is actually a very pure metal, anything of unnatural origin such as werewolves or vampires have very bad chemical reactions should they come into contact with it, usually the same as the burn you’d get if you put your hoof inside a large campfire.” Cooly explained Silver, “Deliver enough force behind the silver and you can do lethal damage against an enemy of impure origin very rapidly. At least, that’s what I got from those old writings”

“Huh.” Was all Tiara said in response, clearly impressed at how much Silver Spoon actually knew about this stuff. “Well, okay, so we can’t use this stuff, even if it wasn’t everything you just said, it’s all probably all too heavy to carry for us anyway.”

“Agreed.” Silver then pushed a rather obvious button on the side of a regular bookcase, exposed by the open secret door. Upon activation, the false bookshelf slid out from the wall and back into place, as if the evidence of ancient horrors had not been found behind them by complete accident. “Now, if you’re really determined to oust Apple Bloom as a werewolf, then we need to make sure she’s an actual werewolf or whatever paranormal monster you think she is before we go in with Royal Guard styled silver weapons.”

“Hey, you’re the expert here, if you have any suggestions on how I can get revenge on that stupid filly…wolf…chicken…whatever she is, I’m all ears.”

“Well, the family has a small forge in the back, I’ve used it a couple times to make some simple trinkets, and I’m thinking it’s high time I made us some nice, all-silver Best Friend bracelets!”

“I’m liking this idea!” said Diamond Tiara, grinning evilly as Silver led her out of the library.


	34. Book2 Ch.9 Behold, Behold, The Princess Twilight Cometh

Rise of the Furball Chapter 9: “Behold, Behold, the Princess Twilight Cometh”

  


Rarity was pleased at what she considered a success in helping Raspberry Beyrl “loosen up” a little, with help from Sandalwood and Fluttershy. The plan had been to put Raspberry into aromatherapy with Sandalwood doing everything within her power to help the poor mare find some way to relax around other ponies, while Heliodor would be tended to by the pegasus. Fluttershy had practically exploded with happiness at the prospect of being able to spend time caring for a phoenix without worrying about getting banished and locked in a dungeon in the place she was banished to, or the phoenix deciding to cause trouble by pretending to be in seriously poor health when in the middle of a reincarnation cycle.

Razz, who seemed both relieved and shocked towards hearing about Rarity treating her to something so out of the gem peddler’s budget, seemed to go along with the arrangements after consulting with her pet and even then only if Rarity would be there, since Heliodor would be in Fluttershy’s care during the aromatherapy. That had raised many questions in the fashionista’s mind about Razz’s insecurities; after all she was never seen around town without her pet. Thanks to Sandalwood’s skills, hoof movements, and mastery of aromatherapy, Razz soon managed to become comfortable enough with her surroundings that she ended up revealing some of her past, which answered a lot of Rarity’s unspoken questions.

The burgundy unicorn had been born on a small farm in a small town outside of Salt Lick City, a place called Lonesome Dove, and was the only horned pony in a community of earth pony farmers. Due to her mother dying in childbirth, the only family she’d had was her father and the only permanent home she’d had was the old family farm. It had been a rough life, since the soil was poor quality for growing food due to the natural gem deposits getting in the way of seeds trying to plant roots, earning it the disparaging nickname of “gem farm” and the gems were always of such low quality that even selling large numbers of them barely brought in enough revenue to feed two ponies. But from birth she’d been unlucky in her early years, since as a unicorn she was not gifted with the endurance and strength needed to work the farm and her father had always regarded her with distaste because she was his only child and not a strong stallion. It had been even worse when she was around sixteen years old, as by then her magic developed fully enough to reveal her special talent was in fact finding gems, which her father regarded as more reason to treat his child poorly for shortcomings that were by no means her fault.

A few months later the unicorn simply left Lonesome Dove with only a few bits to her name, refusing to go into detail about what had influenced her decision. Rarity suspected the relationship between her and her father had become so bad that he simply disowned her and kicked her off the farm to fend for herself. Rarity made a mental note that if she ever had kids, there would be no circumstances where she’d disown them simply because they didn’t meet predetermined expectations through no fault of their own.

But to Rarity’s surprise, Raspberry continued to be vague about her more recent history, only saying that she wandered from town to town to sell her gems, but even after a few years she’d never gone back to a town she left. She refused to be more elaborate on any of those details, only stating that she didn’t turn tricks and that it was during a trip to a new town that she encountered Heliodor. He’d still been in an egg when diamond dogs had stolen him, thinking he was a unique gem, proceeding to try and kill him when he hatched. How Raspberry managed to stop diamond dogs from killing a newborn phoenix chick she didn’t say, though Rarity had several ideas stemming from her own time as a prisoner of diamond dogs.

The vague life story of Raspberry Beryl ended when the mare merely said she’d finally ended up in Ponyville by pure chance a few months ago, claiming she just stayed at a hotel on the outskirts of town and flatly refusing Rarity’s offer of the new guest bedroom at Carousel Boutique. The conversation had then broken off to talk about Rarity’s adventures, brought on from the mention about her having been kidnaped by crystal-loving canines. Overall, while Raspberry was still clearly more comfortable when her loyal bird was by her side, as evidenced by the change in how she carried herself upon Fluttershy returning Heliodor to his mistress at the end of the aromatherapy session, the fact she’d managed to open up to Rarity and Sandalwood enough to partially talk about what sounded like a horrible childhood gave Rarity hope that Razz could overcome her insecurities and enjoy talking with other ponies at length without the oppressive shadow of her past interfering.

However, those thoughts quickly went away as Rarity, now galloping at a fair sprint, raced to an open spot in the paths within Ponyville’s center in order to meet the next pony who needed her attention. Taking a few moments to fix her appearance, she then stood poised and ready to receive her charge. Almost on cue, Royal Guard pegasi descended with the golden chariot behind them, having brought Princess Twilight and the ever faithful Spike back to the town they loved so much.

“Welcome back, your majesty!” dramatically bowed Rarity, mixing formality with friendly teasing, before adding with a wink, “And you too, Spike.”

“Well, thank _you_ , Rarity!” replied Spike, who clearly was once again infatuated with Rarity. While she’d talked to Twilight at length about the matter, Rarity still didn’t know if Spike genuinely thought she was beautiful or if it was just the triplet of diamonds she had as a cutie mark he found appealing. While the fact Raspberry Beryl also had gems for a cutie mark that could possibly be used to explore if it was just the cutie mark of gems that Spike liked, the last thing that mare needed was a baby dragon thinking her flank looked delicious enough to eat and Rarity was not going to ruin her progress with Beyrl to answer a question about what could merely be a childhood crush.

Twilight, meanwhile, just moved to embrace her friend. “I know I visited you not too long ago, but…”

“…that wasn’t the official start of your allowed visit, was it?” interrupted Rarity with a smile. “Besides, I can’t have you all to myself, what good is it to say I’m the bearer of Generosity when I can’t even let one of my friends be able to spend time with anypony other than me?”

Twilight chuckled. “Well, since you’re the only pony here to meet me, I can only guess that the others are over at Golden Oaks, lying in wait to surprise me along with the rest of the town, just like when I first came here.”

“Actually…” replied Rarity with a more serious face, “they’re not.”

Twilight, who had been expecting some dramatic showing from Rarity to dodge the question, was taken off guard by the blunt response, the surprise accented by her wings flaring up involuntarily. “They’re not?”

Rarity shook her head sadly. “Believe it or not, everypony else had plans today for something other than that.”

“Huh?! Other than take part in a Pinkie Pie welcome back party?”

“That’s right. Including Pinkie. She’s off visiting her family on the rock farm.”

Rarity’s words weren’t adding up, Twilight instantly realized. “No, you know just as much as I do that Pinkie wouldn’t put off a party for me just because of a non-emergency family visit, she’d do everything she could to make sure that there would be a party for me even if she couldn’t be there, and for Pinkie to not be able to be anywhere at any time she chooses is a scientific impossibility!” While there was no hard science to actually prove Pinkie could instantly be anywhere she chose at any given moment, regardless of the distance between points A and B, any attempts to understand it had ended with nothing but somepony’s mane catching on fire. Usually Prince Blueblood’s for reasons even Discord would admit were beyond his understanding while he cooked marshmallows on sticks with the inferno on top of the screaming prince.

Rarity remained grim. “I’m afraid that’s the truth, your highness.”

“No, that doesn’t make any sense! The whole reason you’re the only pony I’ve seen since arriving is because everypony else is over in Golden Oaks waiting to surprise me, it’s the only logical answer!”

The lavender alicorn was soon happily proven wrong when she realized that she’d not been paying attention to where Rarity was leading her. The fact they were now in Ponyville’s main square near the fountain, where there were suspiciously large numbers of boxes piled everywhere, only came to the notice of the alicorn a split second before everypony in town jumped up from behind them or inside buildings where they’d not been visible or other hiding places Twilight hadn’t noticed because she’d been too focused on Rarity. However, hearing the entire town shout **“WELCOME HOME, PRINCESS!”** with a certain pink pony bouncing in with a baby blue cannon firing confetti and streamers on everything in sight, the youngest alicorn couldn’t help but shed a tear. Ponyville had missed her just as much as she had missed it.

Meanwhile, at the same time, Raspberry Beryl and Heliodor watched the spontaneous eruption of pure, concentrated party that exploded at the heart of Ponyville. The two of them were silent, taking in the sight, but any thoughts of taking part in the festivities were drowned out by their self-reminders of why they couldn’t risk it. One wrong move in the presence of Princess Twilight Sparkle would be a certain death sentence, even if the princess was still reportedly as big a bookish nerd as she’d been prior to ascension. Tearing their sight away from the celebrations, the pony and her pet turned and trotted away for home.

* * *

It had been a few days since Twilight Sparkle’s return, meaning the excitement that had been felt through the entire town had finally died down. Which Cheerilee appreciated, since most of her class had been taken up in the feeling and had been more unruly as usual due to the school board refusing to make the princess’s return a school holiday. Now that things were returning to normal, actually trying to teach the class was now possible again.

Additionally, while it had been extremely concerning about how the hostility between Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara had reached a head some time ago, following Tiara’s nightmare the relation between the two had become far more passive and much of the drama they had caused had become a thing of the past.

Tiara, however, had a far different opinion. For whatever reason, may it be Apple Bloom’s upstaging her or the appearance of a monster version of the same filly that one night burned into her memory, Diamond intended to get back at the filly who she blamed for all the recent trouble, and it had been fortunate Silver Spoon had been so beneficial in that regard. True, Spoon’s skill level as a silversmith had been lacking enough to make something meant to be worn comfortably, but after a few days of instruction by her father, Silver Hammer, Diamond’s friend had arrived at school carrying a pair of matching “Best Friend Forever” bracelets that were mostly made of pure silver. If there was any truth to the idea Apple Bloom was now of supernatural standing, a simple accidental moment of contact with either bracelet would yield immediate results.

“Do you think this will work?” asked Silver Spoon as she walked alongside her pink coated friend to their seats.

“Well, this is mainly to answer whether or not that annoying filly is truly a monster. Even if she isn’t, I must say these are excellently crafted.”

Spoon blushed. “Yeah, well, dad sort of helped make them, since I still can’t get a perfectly smooth interior curve on things like bracelets.”

“He doesn’t know, does he?”

“What? Oh, no, of course not. I honestly was thinking about making these even without the influence of getting back at Apple Bloom, since these are better than those stupid capes she and the other two of that group wear, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Oh, yes, definitely! So much higher in quality.”

For the rest of the day, neither Diamond or Silver mentioned the silver bands, although Tiara was annoyed at how nopony even seemed to notice her new piece of bling. At the same time, it was a relief Apple Bloom didn’t see the bracelets either, meaning she’d never see it coming. It was now recess time, nothing to stop Diamond from putting silver on Apple Bloom’s blank flank.

“Uh, Diamond?” asked Silver, walking up to the side of her friend, “it just occurred to me that if you’re right, that Apple Bloom is…that thing you think she is, and I’m right that putting silver on her will make her feel a severe burning sensation, isn’t there a chance she’ll just get angry and attack us which at best would kill us, at worst turning us into the thing she is?”

Diamond’s eyes briefly shrank in realization that Silver was right, but the need to vindicate herself and punish Apple Bloom for crimes either real or imagined overrode her logical thinking.

“Even if we do end up paying the ultimate price for this, if she is truly a monster as I suspect, it’s our duty as citizens of Ponyville to expose the beast that threatens everypony.”

Before Silver Spoon could say anything more, Diamond trotted off towards her quarry. It was only too easy to make physical contact between the bracelet and Apple Bloom’s hind leg in a way that didn’t look intentional.

“Yaaahh!” hollered Apple Bloom, stumbling away from Tiara and drawing the exposed leg back, “cold cold cold cold!”

Diamond had already continued on her way to keep up the illusion it had been an accident, but inside she was confused as to the reaction. Touching her opposite hoof to the bracelet, she did find it was somewhat cold, as was to be expected from something made of metal, but it was supposed to have _burned_ Apple Bloom, not given her the chills. Keeping up the façade of not knowing anything about what had happened to Apple Bloom, the pink filly returned to Silver Spoon with intentions to think up some other way to prove the bow-wearing pony was a monster.

Meanwhile, over among the CMC:

“Apple Bloom, you okay?” Sweetie asked.

“Yeah, but Ah don’t know what just happened,” replied the werewolf.

“From what you were yelling about, apparently you came into contact with something cold.”

“Ah know what Ah said, but Ah don’t remember feelin’ a stingin’ sensation after touchin’ a metal pole in the middle of winter.”  
Scootaloo’s expression went from curiosity to worry. “Um, you sure it isn’t a burn? The nerves that detect burning and freezing on the body are the same, but if there’s stinging then that implies the former.”

Sweetie gave Scootaloo an indignant look. “And you say _I’m_ the dictionary?”

“Again, when your parents have to deal with weather teams that don’t provide enough cloud cover to counteract the heat from the sun or make the snow clouds too cold, you pick up on these kinds of things” nickered back the Pegasus, trotting over to look at where Apple Bloom was indicating she’d been affected. “Yep, it’s extremely minor, not even first degree, but if it’s still stinging then that’s a burn.”

“Ah don’t understand, there wasn’t anythin’ even near me when Ah suddenly felt…whatever it was on mah leg,” eeplied the confused Apple Bloom.

“Well, actually, Diamond Tiara walked right past you,” pointed out Sweetie, “and I thought I saw her brush that dumb friendship bracelet she got from Silver Spoon on your leg, but it happened so fast I can’t be sure.”

“Do you think Silver made that bracelet out of…well, silver? Back when Applejack was…well, what Ah am now, Ah remember Big Mac sayin’ somethin’ about how she should never be around the silverware that was actually silver.”

“Wait.” Interrupted Scoot, “how did _Big Macintosh_ know that? Don’t tell me _he_ was a were-“

**“SHHHH!”** shushed Apple Bloom and Sweetie.

“Oh, right, sorry,” apologized the flustered feathered member of the CMC.

“To answer the question, he wasn’t. Maybe he knew about werewolves from some other thing Ah’m not aware of, but trust me when Ah say if _he_ had as big a problem as Ah do, the entire town would know. It’s hard enough tryin’ to keep this under wraps from mah own family as it is!” Apple Bloom’s eyes suddenly got wide as she remembered her family was about to become an even bigger problem.

“Is everything okay, Apple Bloom?” asked Scoot.

“You know how you two are the only ones who know mah…hairy secret, but mah own family doesn’t?”

The pegasus and unicorn nodded.

“And how we all agreed that anytime there was anything bein’ kept as a top-super-duper-classified-don’t-tell-anypony secret, all members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders would be let in on the secret?”

The duo nodded again.

“What happens when somepony who under that rule has to be informed of the secret…and is also part of mah family?”

The non-earth fillies expressed confusion, with Sweetie speaking up: “But you’re the youngest of the Apple Family siblings, aren’t you? I don’t remember you ever mentioning somepony in your family who was your younger sister.”

“Not mah sister, Sweetie. Mah _cousin._ Babs Seed is going to be on the five-fifteen _Manehatten Mustang_ train when it makes the Ponyville stop next Saturday, and as far as Ah know this time she’s stayin’ until Hearth’s Warming!”  
___________________________________________________________________________________

Raspberry Beryl sighed as she laid back on the bed in her hotel room, Heliodor following suit as he sat on the bar attached to the other, normally otherwise unused bed in the double. It wasn’t the greatest accommodations in a hotel nor was it the best hotel in Ponyville. The _Traveler’s Retreat_ was, admittedly, well past its prime even though the clientele had never really differed much from being mostly individuals that were passing through Ponyville, being more of a bed and breakfast rest stop than a true hotel. The fact the old couple who kept the place running had never conceived of a pony staying longer than a week, much less over three months, was testament to that, but Raspberry was grateful to them for allowing her to essentially take up residence there.

She’d gotten the idea of living long-term in a hotel from a pony she’d briefly talked with years ago, shortly after being forced to fend for herself and leave Lonesome Dove. The pony; a member of a traveling acting group who was named Rough Edge, had generously paid for her to stay at the road house she’d ended up at the end of that first night. She’d taken an interest in him when she initially heard some of his troupe members call him “The Crownless King”, and although what had interested her proved to be absent upon him explaining his nickname’s reference to his usual role as the hero character in their performances, he’d been invaluable that first night in providing advice that she’d followed even up to the present for living the life of a wanderer. She wondered what would have happened had she revealed everything to him that night, if he would have helped her if she’d been totally forward about the matter instead of lying about the circumstances as to why she had to flee Lonesome Dove. She also wondered where he’d been ever since, as she’d never seen him again after that one night despite having considered him as close to a trustworthy friend that she’d ever get. Well, until Heliodor came into her life, providing comfort in a way no amount of bits could provide.

But where bits could provide comfort, she was living in excess at the _Retreat_ as far as she cared. The rates were extremely low, probably because the owners took pity on her and didn’t charge as much even though Razz continually protested that out of guilt. Still, for having lived most of her life on the road, being able to come back to a room that had a soft bed to sleep in, a working bathroom with actual soap that made it so much easier to keep her body clean, and getting a hot meal every morning, her current living conditions were better than anything a room in Castle Canterlot could have given her. Of course, that spare bedroom at Carousel Boutique probably would have been the same, the main difference being Rarity not charging Razz a single penny to stay, and Razz would have loved to taken up the offer to move into a home that wasn’t broken prior to her taking residence in it. The only two reasons stopping her were that it wouldn’t be more than a week before Heliodor tried to devise elaborate ways to kill Rarity’s cat Opal that involved excessive amounts of fire, since it was bad enough trying to stop the two from killing each other when Razz and her pet visited Rarity’s abode, and the significantly more important reason was the horrible truth that had stalked Razz all her life from before she had even been born, the reason the most comfortable places she’d ever known were hotel rooms instead of actual houses and why she’d left so many towns in her wake.

Lost in thought, it was Heliodor’s squawking that brought Raspberry back to reality and to be aware of the knocking at the door. Getting off of the bed, she walked over to open it and found a pegasus guard from the local guard detachment on the other side.

“Miss Raspberry Beryl, I presume?”

She paled slightly. “Y-yes, that’s me.”

The guard pulled out a scroll from his saddlebag and handed it to Razz. “I was instructed to make sure this was delivered straight to you.”

“Oh, well, um…thanks?”

“You’re welcome, ma’am, and good evening.” The guard turned and made to leave the hotel. Beryl made sure he was not in the hallway before closing the door and letting her face drain of the blood. Looking at the wax seal on the rolled up parchment, she realized within seconds what it was. Taking the scroll in her telekinesis, she opened it to read the contents.

_FROM THE OFFICE OF HER SERENE HIGHNESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE, GUARDIAN OF THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY, PRINCESS OF FRIENDSHIP, PROTEGE OF PRINCESS CELESTIA_

_It has come to her highness' attention that you currently are in possession of an avian of unusual pigmentation, namely a phoenix of green coloration. Since her highness' return to Ponyville, numerous subjects have brought to her attention via personal audiences and missives of this issue. One such audience was with Lady Rarity, a member of her highness' personal court and a personal confidante of the princess._

_While we on her highness' staff believe that the intent is to arrange a personal meeting between yourself, her highness and Lady Rarity, unfortunately her highness' schedule does not permit such a timeframe in which this can be accommodated in a reasonable manner. Thus it has been decided that you are to be summoned to her highness' current seat, temporarily located at the Golden Oaks library, on this coming Saturday, promptly at quarter past five. You are also detailed to bring your pet along as well, as her highness would likely desire extensive study on such a creature._

_Cordially,_

_Apple Cobbler_   
_Crown Secretary for HSH Twilight Sparkle_

“She…she wants to _what!?”_ whimpered Raspberry. The one pony in all of Equestria who Raspberry wanted to stay the farthest from had literally just summoned her to come to a private meeting in the center of town. It had been bad enough simply being in the same town as the princess, but being in the same _room_ as her? Razz knew she would have to go, since any normal pony wouldn’t hesitate to obey a summons from a princess, but as the burgundy unicorn looked worryingly at Heliodor, it would be an honor neither of them would want.

* * *

The master clock inside the Rich household chimed eleven pm as Diamond Tiara pouted in her room. She’d gotten nowhere fast with the silver bracelets plan and as she stared at the one her friend had given her, now sitting on the bedside counter next to her water, she tried to reason why her plan had failed.

“There had to have been some reaction, the thing was cold when I touched it but the way Apple Bloom reacted it was like I’d touched her with an ice cube!” muttered Tiara to herself, “Yet, at the same time, if she was a werewolf or whatever, she should have been burned when touched by silver! The test was negative on those grounds, but I still need more proof! Maybe if I can figure out how to get some wolfsbane or something planted all around the school…”

The sudden, feminine laughter, reverberating with some kind of unnatural aftertone, stopped Tiara’s self-conversation and made her fearful as the night Apple Bloom appeared at the bedroom window.

“Who…Who’s there?!” cried out Tiara, shielding herself with one of her stuffed animals. She made sure it was the big blue one that was just a giant blob with no limbs, the one that said “imaginary friends forever!” when squeezed, as she did so now.

“Somepony who has goals that currently are in line with yours, my dear,” the voice answered back.

“How do you know what I want? What do you want with me?”

“You don’t need to yell. After all, it’s not like your father or any of the employed staff here are going to believe a disembodied voice is talking to you, not after seeing _her_ at your window. Unless you’re aiming to be put in an insane asylum.”

“Okay, fine,” Tiara said, no longer shouting but having changed to a conversational tone. “But just to prove you _aren’t_ another figment of my imagination, I want you to show yourself so I can at least see who I’m talking to.”

“A fair request,” the voice replied, right before the shape of a mare materialized at the foot of Tiara’s bed. From what Diamond could tell, it was the translucent form of a green mare with a mane/tail coloration of yellow and sky blue, complimented with pink eyes and a cutie mark of two mountain peaks bordering a rainbow. But it was the fact the mare looked inequine exactly in the same ways like Apple Bloom had on that stormy night that spoke volumes, the parts that looked more canine than pony. This was a werewolf, although the translucence made it clear this one was just a ghost and therefore _probably_ couldn’t harm Tiara, that being the only real reason the living filly didn’t scream out in terror. It didn’t help, however, that this ghost suspiciously looked a lot like a somewhat older Applejack, only with a mane style closer to Rainbow Dash, prompting another doll squeeze and ‘Imaginary Friends Forever!’ being echoed in the room.

“Yes, I know, I’m not exactly much better than your other hairy problem,” replied the ghost almost apologetically, “but unlike her I don’t want to harm you in any way, physically or psychologically.”

“Do you know what she is, at least?” asked Diamond, the fear slowly subsiding.

“Well, you already knew it, but she _is_ a werewolf. How she managed to be one is beyond me as the fate of all werewolves is similar to mine, although none of them were lucky enough to rise from the grave to avenge their deaths upon the living.”

Tiara raised an eyebrow at that. “Are you saying Apple Bloom somehow killed you?”

The apparition laughed again, made slightly disconcerting by its haunting echo. “No, I’ve been dead for over a decade, and the one responsible for it is currently in a position that you would be of no help in the matter. However…” the spirit’s tone suddenly became much more serious, “the pony that I did love, the original werewolf by the name of Sable Loam, was murdered by some idiot minotaur almost a year ago.”

“Uh huh, keep going,” Diamond Tiara murmured, motioning by making a circle with her hoof and making a not-so-subtle indication she knew everything that had been said so far.

“Well, apologies for having been _dead_ for so long, most of this information is new to me,” the ghost chided. “Anyway, apparently the older sister of this ‘Apple Bloom’ you seek to do ill will against, was involved in his death somehow, and I wish to punish her for it through bringing harm to her sister. Furthermore, Apple Bloom is making a mockery of what it means to be a werewolf, we are, or at least _were_ , actually more dangerous and threatening than just being a scary sight on the other side of a window strong enough to withstand a hurricane.”

“Well, um, okay.” Quite frankly, Diamond Tiara was rather open to the idea that this undead werewolf ghost just happened to stumble into her room in the dead of night and was offering to help Tiara get revenge on Apple Bloom. Silver would definitely be needed to be brought into the knowledge of this ghostly assistance, but provided her paranormal exterminator heritage didn’t get in the way things might have just gotten easier. “Before I agree to anything, however, I do want to at least know your name.”

“But of course.” The undead mare’s voice carried smug undertones as she said, “Just call me Fair Vista.”


	35. Book2 Ch.10 Achieving an Understanding

Rise of the Furball Chapter 10: “Achieving an Understanding”

  


As Applejack stood on the platform, the three Crusaders jumping up and down and all around her with excitement on their faces, she mused that it had been exactly like this over a year ago when Babs Seed first came to Ponyville to visit. It had been a rough experience once the real story of what had been going on for those few weeks finally got revealed, but in the end it had all worked out. Babs had since come to visit a few times since then, but now she was moving in semi-permanently.

“Hey, Applejack?” asked Sweetie, “Why is Babs going to stay at the farm for so long this time? I don’t think Mrs. Cheerilee is going to approve of her just popping in for schooling, which I’m sure she’s not exempt from.”

“Granny and Big Mac already have talked it over with your teacher, actually, so Babs will be in your class,” answered the mare. “As for why Babs is staying so long, Ah honestly don’t recall gettin’ an answer to that mahself….”

The attention of those on the platform was suddenly drawn to the shrill cry of a steam whistle, signaling the arrival of the Manehatten Mustang. The first of what the Royal Equestrian Railway Company promoted as a new ‘streamliner’ train, the engine was equipped with external plating that made it look perfectly smooth on the outside and of a completely different world at the same time. It was also much larger, as if two regular engines had been welded together back-to-back to form its eight-wheeled base with four unpowered wheels in the front and back. Nicknamed “Greenbriers”, these state-of-the-art locomotives had not been designed for service off of mainlines, but due to Ponyville’s importance as the home of one of the Princesses, the RERC had no choice but to upgrade the line through the backwater settlement.

But as the engine slowed to a stop just beyond the edge of the opposite station end, the Crusaders didn’t pay it much mind. Instead, their focus was on the passenger cars that had drawn up to the platform. Unlike last time, however, they knew the appearance of the pony they were there to meet. Indeed, a few minutes after the train’s arrival, a brown coated filly who was slightly bigger than the average pony her age jumped down from the third coach. Her hot pink mane and tail, along with her green eyes, certainly made her stand out among the crowd, but it was the red cape she had tied around her neck with the shiny gold reverse side that confirmed her identity.

Babs Seed had returned to Ponyville.

“Babs!” shouted Apple Bloom, rushing off to tackle her slightly older cousin in a big hug.

“Hey, cuz!” greeted back the new arrival, taking the hug with a slight grunt as the impact from Apple Bloom forced some air out of Babs’ chest. She didn’t remember Apple Bloom being _that_ strong the last time, but then again she hadn’t even seen her for months so perhaps it was just faulty memory.

“Didja have a good trip?” inquired Applejack, slowly trotting over while Scoot and Sweetie rushed off to join the filly pile.

“Uh-huh! This here streamliner is amazin’! The seats are so much cozier, the sleeper car has bunks in their own little rooms, and there’s even a snack bar at one end of the diner car!”

“Sounds like Auntie and Uncle Orange spoiled you rotten with this trip.”

The smile on Babs’s face fell a little. “Yeah, but they do that all the time, since they’re part of the Manehatten upper class ‘n all. Probably to try to make up for the fact they don’t really spend time with me if they’d have to miss one of their ‘social events’ they’re always at.” She then drew her head up a bit and made her jaw jut out as far as possible. “And when they have to drag me to one of those events, I have to talk with proper pronunciation like so and behave like all the other well-to-do fillies and colts who think we are all better than the common pony.” Her accent had changed considerably; sounding nothing like the Babs the CMC or AJ had known but instead had letter-perfect pronunciation as if she was trying to sound haughtier than the majority of Canterlot.

“Well, I do declare that to be a matter I most heartily agree-URK!” replied Applejack in her own ‘upper class’ accent. However, while she still could do the accent she’d mastered a few days before she realized her place was back on the farm and earned her cutie mark, she hadn’t used it in years and the sudden change in voice pitch was not received well by her larynx, sending her into a brief coughing fit.

“Applejack, are you okay?” squeaked Sweetie Belle.

“Yeah, Ah’m- _hack_ -fine!” wheezed Applejack, proceeding to take a deep breath and shake the cough off. “Ah mean no offense to yer folks, Babs, they’re still Apple kin, but tryin’ to talk like that nearly killed me back when Ah was still a filly, an’ clearly it hasn’t gotten easier!” An idle thought then occurred to AJ as to what she would have sounded like if she’d tried her ‘upper class’ accent…while also having the raspier voice that she’d had back when she’d been a werewolf. She concluded it probably would have sounded weird and just given her a coughing fit all the same, but wasn’t worth going back to being a werewolf, even if there was some way to becoming one again. She’d probably mention it to Apple Bloom later and they’d get a good laugh out of it, but it would be best not to reveal she was an ex-lycanthrope to the rest of the CMC, even though their antics had indirectly led to that whole ordeal in the first place.

“So, why are you staying for so long this time?” inquired Scootaloo.

“There was some charity auction or somethin’ they’d gone to a few months back, where they won the grand prize of some super-long, all-expenses paid world cruise. There were only two tickets, an’ even though they never asked if I wanted to go, I probably wouldn’t have wanted to anyway since I’d totally die from boredom, so they decided to send me back here since I have so much fun with you guys!” replied Babs, cheering back up.

“But what about your sister?” asked Apple Bloom. “Couldn’t you have stayed with her?”

“Tangarine Tart? No, she’s apprenticin’ to Gustave le Grande as a pastry chef in Canterlot and is livin’ in an apartment she’s sharin’ with some of her friends. I’d just get in the way.”

“Well, we’ve got plenty of room for you back on the farm, Babs.” Said Applejack. “And you don’t need to worry about sharin’ the same bed as Apple Bloom, either, as we cleaned out a spare room for you to use all to yourself.” In truth, the ‘spare room’ was actually Granny Smith’s old bedroom which until recently had been used as the master bedroom. The actual master bedroom had been used as storage due to the whole family not being able to spend long periods of time in it following the deaths of Appleseed and Cornflower. But, upon having received closure on the matter of the Apple Parents, Granny had it cleaned up so it could be a proper master bedroom again and her old bedroom be turned into a guest room.

“Ah probably should mention we don’t have an extra bed for you, though, so Ah hope you don’t mind a hay mattress and newspaper blankets!” teased Apple Bloom.

“That’s okay, I’ll just sleep on my luggage!” replied Babs with a grin, before taking on an apologetic look. “Mom and Dad decided to send me with everythin’ I’d possibly need, so it’s more than just a suitcase this time.”

“And you said we wouldn’t need the truck.” said Apple Bloom, casting a smug glance to Applejack who merely just rolled her eyes.

“Need the what?” asked Babs, raising an eyebrow in confusion at what a ‘truck’ was.

“You’ll see, let’s just get your stuff off the train before it departs for Canterlot and drops off your stuff at your sister’s place!”

* * *

At the same time, a very nervous unicorn trotted in place just outside Golden Oaks Library. She’d already knocked at the door, exactly at 5:15 as instructed by the summoning letter, but there had been no answer. It was now five twenty, and Raspberry Beryl was getting more and more scared by the minute. She might end up being in trouble for not any of the many, many reasons she had to avoid talking to Twilight in the first place, but in this case for being late somehow.

Heliodor, perched on a low hanging branch and facing her, was trying his best to calm her down. It was his job to attract attention away from her, which right now she wasn’t making it easy because she really looked like she needed to use the restroom and ponies were starting to look over.

“Yes, yes, I know Heelee, but I’m already possibly in seriously deep horseshit as it is!” quietly hissed Razz. “It’s five minutes past the time I’m supposed to be inside this tree, but the door’s locked and nopony is here, but I can’t leave in case the princess shows up and I get in trouble for not obeying a summons!”

The conspiratorial grin that appeared on the bird’s face only received an angrier response from the pony. “And you know very well I’m not going to resort to vandalism to get inside! This is literally the second home of the princess, she’d be even angrier if we-“ the sudden flurry of activity from Heliodor indicated that somepony was approaching and that she needed to act calm.

Indeed, around the corner came a sight that Raspberry Beryl had never seen in her years of traveling around Equestria. It was a small, purple-and-green baby dragon walking upright on two legs, while in his right claw he was holding a basket full of things from the market. The presence of a baby dragon concerned Razz even more now, since she knew gems were the preferred treat for the reptilian species and if he had one good look at her cutie mark he’d probably ask her for some, or possibly even threaten her with his flame breath or sharp claws for some. That would certainly put her in one of two equally bad situations; the first being Heliodor would promptly kick the dragon’s ass with _his_ flame breath and sharp talons, leaving Razz to explain why there was a horribly maimed and burned baby dragon on the library’s doorstep, or she did give him some of her gems which would…well, she’d never actually given any of her gems to a dragon of any kind, but due to the spell she used to find them it was almost certain nothing good could come from it.

“Oh, hello!” greeted the dragon upon noticing the two waiting in front of the library. “You must be waiting for Twilight to get back from flying lessons.”

“…Flying lessons?” cautiously asked Razz.

“Yeah, I know, Twilight’s extremely smart and can learn something really fast if she doesn’t know it already, but since she wasn’t born with wings it…well, it was awkward. Here, I’ll let you in, I’m sure Twi won’t mind.”

“Uh, T-thanks,” said the cringing unicorn, waiting for Heliodor to take his place on her horn before they followed the dragon into the tree.

“I apologize for not being here to let you in earlier, but Wisdom Seeker forgot to restock the fridge before he took off for his vacation. Hope you guys weren’t waiting long,” said the dragon from his place in the kitchen.

“N-no, we’ve only been here for five or so minutes,” responded Razz, barely having heard the dragon in the other room. Her attention was fixed upon the glorious sight that surrounded her as she stood in the center of the tree; Books. Rows upon rows of books. Fantasies, encyclopedias, graphic novels, history books, everything that could be explored through the written word were present within this tree. To most ponies, it would have just been seeing a typical library that was only visually different in layout from any other library in a town similar in size to Ponyville, with the Royal Archives of Canterlot and the Crystal Empire far exceeding Golden Oaks in both contained knowledge and presented beauty. But for Raspberry Beryl, they represented a dream which she’d clung to all her life, even as fate conspired to drive it ever further from her with every misstep she took.

Almost unconsciously, she began to focus her magic to take a book she’d chosen at random, but before her aura could even light up she felt two familiar bird feet squeeze her horn much harder than usual for a brief second, sending a spike of pain straight into her cerebrum and instantly stopping her magic flow.

“OW!” cried Razz. “Heelee! What was that-“

Heliodor leaned over and glared at the pony attached to his roost, raising an eyebrow. Instantly realizing she’d nearly used her magic where somepony else could have seen it, she blushed a little at how stupid her mistake could have been.

“Oh. Right. Thanks for the save, Heelee.” He cawed happily, having done his job properly once again.

“Is everything okay miss…erm…” the dragon had come out from the kitchen, probably worried about the brief cry of pain he’d heard. “I’m sorry, but Twi didn’t give me your names, since she was supposed to be back by now.”

Relieved at the chance to take her mind off of her goof, Raspberry smiled. “I’m Raspberry Beryl and my companion here is Heliodor.”

“Well, nice to meet you! I’m Spike and…hey, is your pet a phoenix?”

“I’d hope so, that’s what everypony has been telling me ever since I got back to Ponyville!” came a third voice out of nowhere. The source was soon revealed, however, as Twilight Sparkle appeared at the edge of the second floor above. Instead of golden horseshoes and other regal wear, however, she instead was clad in nothing but a sweatband on her head, complementing the fact she looked somewhat out of breath.

“Twilight! Where were you?” inquired her adoptive brother.

“I was at my flying lessons with Rainbow, remember?”

“I remember you saying you would be back by five, it’s practically half-past at this point and you’ve been keeping this pony and her pet waiting. I presume they’re the ones you’ve been so eager to meet?” Spike gestured to the unicorn in the room with the bird on her horn, the former having bowed upon seeing the princess so fast and so hard that she unintentionally launched her pet right into the floor where he now lay spread eagled a good foot or so in front of her.

“Oh my gosh!” gasped Twilight, realizing that for all the things in life she could have afforded to be late for something, this probably wasn’t one of them. She ignored the stairs, instead choosing just to flutter her way down to the ground floor. “Please, you don’t need to be so formal in here, plus I think your phoenix needs your attention.”

“Huh? Oh, no! Heelee!” exclaimed Razz as she rushed over to Heliodor. Thankfully, he wasn’t hurt, just a little annoyed at having suddenly been turned into a missile. Twilight just looked over the scene and smiled.

“So…you’re Raspberry Beryl?”

The addressed snapped her head around quickly upon hearing her name. “Y-yes! That’s me!” She then paled slightly as Twilight just chuckled, worrying that she’d done something wrong, but the princess soon explained.

“Like I said, you don’t need to be formal. To be honest if there’s one thing I hate about having become an alicorn princess it’s all this ridiculous formality. That’s why I’m so happy to be back home here in Ponyville, everypony treats me the same as they always did and not like some kind of untouchable work of art.”

Razz, however, was still unsure of the situation. “B-but the summons that I received was written so-“

Twilight just laughed again. “Yeah, sorry about that. Apple Cobbler means well, but when she insisted she write that letter instead of me just letting Spike do it as I usually do, I didn’t have much of a choice. Also, I’m sorry for having to keep you waiting, but do you mind if I take a few minutes to wash up? I’m still kind of sweaty and it would be rude not to be presentable to you.”

“Oh, no, take your time, really!” answered Raspberry, “Although…do you mind if I, um…take a look at some of the books here?”

Twilight had to raise an eyebrow at that question. “Uh…sure? You don’t need my permission; this is still technically the Ponyville Public Library after all.”

“I just wanted to be sure!” sheepishly grinned Razz. Twilight just shook her head, certain the poor pony was still flustered from having to deal with a princess acting so…unprincess-y, before flying up to the second level to start the bath, Spike already going up the stairs with a small bundle of fresh soap. Raspberry, on the other hand, waited until she could hear the bath water running before zipping over to the history book section and opening it up. Heliodor, having since recovered from being thrown face first into the floor by accident, flew up to the table to see what his mistress was reading. He honestly didn’t understand her fascination with books, they were everywhere, really, but they made her happy so he just pretended to follow along as she read out loud.

* * *

“Alright, Tiara, what do you have planned this time?” asked Silver Spoon. She’d been invited over to her best friend’s house, obviously to continue to plan how to expose Apple Bloom’s true nature, but the fact Diamond Tiara hadn’t even hinted at what the plan was this time was concerning.

“Okay, promise me you won’t freak out” said Diamond in a conspiratorial tone, letting Silver into her room before locking the door.

“We…we’re not going to do anything _illegal_ are we?”

“No. What made you think that?”

“Well, I mean, normally you’re willing to go to some lengthy extremes sometimes, so the fact you actually are warning me ahead of time about whatever you’re going to suggest doesn’t fill me with confidence.”

“At least you’re filled with _something_ ,” commented another voice, followed by the translucent form of a green mare, strangely resembling what an alternatively colored and messier-maned Applejack would look like, walking into the room _through the wall opposite the door_. Silver instantly recognized the tell-tale features that marked this newcomer as a werewolf, along with the fact it was a ghost werewolf, and was only prevented from screaming her head off by Tiara quickly tacking her to the ground and muffling her muzzle with her foreleg.

“Keep it down!” hissed Tiara, “She’s the subject I need to talk to you about anyway!”

“Are you insane?!” Silver snapped back. “Are you that obsessed with proving Apple Bloom is a werewolf that you’ve actually _raised the spirit of another werewolf_ to somehow help you with that? Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that sort of hypocritical?!”

“To be fair, your friend had nothing to do with my reawakening, and she doesn’t have the magic capability for necromancy since she’s an Earth pony,” chuckled the ghost. “Plus, I was the one who approached her a few nights ago about helping with your problems with this ‘Apple Bloom’ character.”

Diamond let Silver Spoon go, both fillies getting back up. “So, um…yeah,” stated Tiara, “Silver Spoon, this is Fair Vista. Fair Vista, Silver Spoon.”

“A pleasure, really,” droned Silver Spoon. “But I still don’t buy the idea you happen to have simply walked up from wherever your physical body is buried and happened to come straight to us to provide assistance with this matter.”

“To be honest, I actually don’t know the means by which I have risen from the grave myself,” Vista said in a matter-of-fact tone. “But I am being honest in that our goals are, for the moment, aligned in regards to the same pony.”

Diamond then spoke up. “Believe it or not, Silver, but apparently Applejack had been a werewolf for some time, up to around when the Minotaurs were proclaiming one of their own had killed the last werewolf. In reality, it seems Applejack was the true killer, as that werewolf was the one who spread the cure onto her and the only way to cure oneself is to kill the infector.”

“So…Applejack was a werewolf, too?” inferred Silver, trying to understand where this was all leading.

Fair Vista nodded. “Yes, but she is not one any longer, although why anypony would want to throw away a gift like this is beyond me. But, more importantly, she killed the pony who I loved and for that I want revenge. Since you two are going after the youngest of her family and aren’t impared by not having an ethereal form which can’t really interact with the physical plane, and obviously I’m very knowledgeable about werewolves being one myself, I figure we should join forces so we can all get what we want.”

Silver Spoon still was suspicious about the whole affair. First off, the idea her best friend was so willing to accept the help of a werewolf poltergeist which had arrived very conveniently when it was needed most disturbed the gray filly. There was also the problem about how far this mess would end up going if simply exposing Apple Bloom wasn’t enough for either the ghost or the pink filly, the former most likely being perfectly willing to execute anypony if she had to and the latter already having demonstrated a severe lack of morality when it came to respecting anypony other than her parents or Silver Spoon. But at the same time there wasn’t really any alternative to cooperating with these arrangements, mainly because Silver Spoon didn’t dare risk her friendship with Diamond Tiara namely because she was the only pony Silver could truly consider a friend, and also because she wasn’t convinced the werewolf was being totally honest in what she said about not being able to interact with the physical world.

“Alright, I guess I’m in.”

Fair Vista grinned, exposing her disturbingly sharp teeth that had no place on a pony. ”Excellent. I’m looking forward to working with you two, should be fun.”

______________________________________________________________________________

“Now, Ah don’t mean to be rude, Babs, but Ah think you mighta packed a little too much!” groaned Applejack. It wasn’t the _largest_ load of luggage she’d ever seen, she knew from experience that Rarity practically refused to stay overnight anywhere under normal circumstances without bringing along half her wardrobe, but for a pony like Babs who couldn’t possibly have had even a fraction of as many apparel items it was strange she’d need ten large suitcases even if she was temporarily moving in for a season or two. Plus, she wasn’t sure she could safely carry it all in the tiny apple cart she’d brought, assuming it would have been at most four bags.

“That’s what Ah said, but mom and dad still insisted I’d need several coats because of how cold it can get around here,” replied Babs.

“But Ponyville is almost exactly in the middle of Equestria, within sight of Canterlot even!” pointed out Apple Bloom, gesturing to the tiny shape of the cliffside capital just visible on the distant mountain range. “Plus, isn’t Manehatten known for its super-cold winters as well?”

“Yeah, but accordin’ to some friends of my parents the winters here are longer ‘allegedly’ because the populace never gets Winter Wrap Up done on time.”

“That’s not true!” interjected Sweetie Belle, “ever since Twilight was appointed the manager of Winter Wrap Up, Ponyville has always been on time for the start of spring!”

“Yeah, well we’re all runnin’ late for getting’ y’all back to the farm, but there’s no way Ah can fit all of this into the cart, it’s too small!”

Apple Bloom looked at the luggage, then the cart, then the luggage again, before she smiled. “Ah think Ah know how to do it…”

Thirty feet of knotted rope later, Applejack still couldn’t believe how Apple Bloom had secured all ten pieces of luggage to a degree that could be carted to the farm safely.

* * *

“Ah! Much better!” sighed the now-clean alicorn, “Now to get to business!”

She descended the familiar stairs of the library this time, wishing to give her wings a rest. Rainbow had drilled her hard in order to ensure the basics of flying were ingrained into her head, to the point both of them had lost track of time, and as a result they still felt sore. But Twilight ignored the feeling, instead anticipating what she would learn momentarily. There, sitting next to Raspberry Beryl, was an honest-to-Celestia green phoenix. The princess could hardly wait to get started.

“Spike!” she shouted, although intending to get the attention of the phoenix and its owner in addition to her assistant, “Can you put on some tea!”

“Sure thing, Twi!” answered the dragon.

Heliodor twittered slightly, alerting Raspberry that reading time was over.

“Thanks, Heelee,” she whispered to her pet before turning to Twilight. “I trust your highness is feeling better, now?”

“Please, just call me Twilight, honestly I prefer to be seen as just a regular unicorn while in town.”

“Uh, okay, your maj...Er, Twilight!” responded the other unicorn, catching herself before she did the very thing she’d been asked not to do.

The lavender alicorn smiled. “Besides, you’re the one who truthfully has more honorability than me, as nopony, not even Princess Celestia, can claim they have a pet like yours.”

“Who, Heliodor? No, no, I’m sure other ponies have pet phoenixes, too, it’s just that meeting one who is willing to stay with you like a pet is so rare.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Other ponies? Under natural circumstances, phoenixes can only be domesticated if they decide to imprint upon an individual they deem worthy of their company. As it stands, I’m only aware of three phoenixes that have ever allowed themselves to be pets: Philomena, who is the pet of Princess Celestia; Heliodor, who is your phoenix; and a phoenix who Spike rescued about a year ago.”

“Yeah, Pee Wee’s still with his family right now, but he does come to visit sometimes,” added Spike, who walked in with a tray supporting a tea kettle and two cups. Having been imprinted upon by Pee Wee in return for having saved his egg, Spike was technically the only dragon who ever had a phoenix as a pet. But, due to Spike also being a baby dragon with the maturity of a young adolescent pony, Fluttershy had advised letting Pee Wee be returned to his parents, which had been accomplished with the help of Philomena. Twilight not willing to let an unhousebroken bird that had a tendency to shoot fire inside her library had also been a factor.

However, for whatever reason the phoenix in the room suddenly looked depressed, prompting Razz to rub his back with a hoof.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” asked a shocked Twilight, simultaneously using her magic to levitate the tea kettle and fill the cups without even having really thought about doing so. “Was it something I said?

“It’s…well, Heelee never knew his parents, actually,” explained Raspberry.

“Rarity said that you mentioned to her that Helidor –that’s his name, right? – was just a hatchling when you first met him, but she didn’t mention much else. But…not know his parents?”

“Maybe his egg was stolen, kind of like what happened with Pee Wee?” suggested Spike.

Raspberry nodded. “As far as I know, Heliodor’s egg was stolen by diamond dogs, probably because his egg must have looked like a precious stone unlike any other. But he hatched inside their caves, to which the dogs obviously didn’t like and possibly considered some kind of magic trick at their expense, and proceeded to chase him around the caves trying to kill him. At least, that’s what the scene was when I got there.”

“Why were you at a diamond dog cave entrance?” inquired Twilight.

“As I’m sure many ponies have already told you, my special talent is finding gems.” Raspberry turned in her seat slightly to let the princess get a better view of her cutie mark. “I actually hadn’t known it was a diamond dog cave at the time, especially since it had been described to me as an Earth pony mine, complete with the wood supports you’d expect, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt if I just went in and took any gems that were left. You can imagine my surprise when all of a sudden I see a flying green and gold blob trying to outrun some very angry canines.

“Next thing I know, one of the lead dogs tripped and caused them all to collapse on top of one another, allowing their quarry to clumsily land on my head and cling to my horn for dear life. I wasn’t going to let the dogs get him, or me, for that matter, so I yanked out one of the wooden supports as I ran out of the cave so it would collapse and prevent the dogs from chasing us. It wasn’t until I’d run a good mile away that I finally stopped to catch my breath and realized a baby phoenix was still attached to my head, traumatized and half-dead from exhaustion.

“I was in between towns at the time, so I didn’t really have much to provide for myself, but I did what I could for him and as you can tell he fully recovered. I tried going around and seeing if I could find his parents, but I didn’t find any phoenixes at all, and since the baby phoenix had only hatched inside that cave he didn’t know where his nest was, either. He needed somepony to look after him, though, and after I’d been traveling alone for so long it was nice to have a companion, so I named him Heliodor and he’s been with me ever since.” Raspberry then leaned over to nuzzle her bird, which he returned in kind.

By that point Twilight had already whipped out a notepad and quill, furiously jotting down notes, but she’d had a question or ten readied once the story had ended. “Fascinating…I didn’t know diamond dogs would potentially steal phoenix eggs. Heliodor’s egg must really have been different from a normal phoenix egg I guess. Although he himself seems to be different from even normal phoenixes, as he can apparently sit on your horn?”

Wordlessly, Heliodor just launched himself from the table and flew a complete circle around the library before landing on Razz’s horn. The unicorn, on the other hand, had just looked right at Twilight the whole time and barely even seemed to react to the sudden landing made on her horn.

The princess was dumbstruck, the quill coming to a halt. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

“What do you mean?” asked Raspberry.

“A bird of even his size should be pushing down on your horn with enough force to be triggering pain receptors in your brain, since a pony’s horn is a natural extension of the skull and brain in order for it to conduct magic. To have something like, well, Heliodor on your horn should by all rights be weighing your head down and making you scream in agony.”

“Really? That’s never happened with Heelee, but then again he’s the only creature who has actually used my horn as a perch.”

“If it’s alright, could I have him try to sit on my horn, then?”

“I…guess?” All the confidence that had been building up in her about talking to a princess suddenly drained out of her. Twilight wanted to try having Heliodor sit on her horn… _after_ everything she just described? She glanced up at Heliodor, prompting both unicorn and phoenix to go into a silent conversation composed purely of pantomimed gestures and expressions. Twilight recorded the entire thing in earnest. Finally, some sort of decision had been made. “Alright, Heelee says he’ll try.”

“Okay, how about just to simplify this, we put our horns up to each other so he can slowly walk onto mine. If anything happens he can just latch back onto your horn.”

“O-okay…” was all Beryl said.

Maneuvering around the table, the unicorn and alicorn lowered their horns to allow the phoenix to cross over. However, Twilight noted that Raspberry was trying very, very hard not to let their horn tips touch, which seemed odd. She soon figured out why when Heliodor, also nervous from what seemed like a needlessly complicated acrobatic maneuver, had one foot on each horn but suddenly lost his balance and in his attempt to regain it caused the horn tips to touch only briefly.

It was less than a second of contact, but Twilight instantly knew the unicorn in front of her had been hiding something far bigger than the origin of a green phoenix. Normally, when two ponies with horns put their forehead extrusions tip-to-tip, their separate magic fields will interact with each other, in most cases allowing them to combine for whatever reason. However, when Twilight felt the presence of Raspberry’s magic, there was something decidedly _wrong_ about it. What that was, Twilight couldn’t figure out before the magic fields separated, but it felt both sickeningly similar and yet totally unfamiliar at the same time. She didn’t even pay attention to the phoenix, who by that point had given up trying to cross over and had flown off to perch on a lectern that happened to be nearby, clearly dizzy from having nearly done the splits on top of two magic fields reacting to each other. Right now she was more concerned with the unicorn across from her. “What are you hiding?” accused the princess, shifting into a readied stance should Raspberry turn out to be an enemy of the crown.

“L-look, your majesty, I can explain, please!” Raspberry, on the other hand, was now deathly afraid. The very thing she hadn’t wanted to reveal had just been revealed by complete accident, meaning if Twilight already had made _that_ assumption she was as good as dead.

“You can explain? Alright, then tell me what’s wrong with your magic, because that’s _not_ normal magic I felt from touching your horn!” Twilight charged up her aura, ready to lay down the hurt if necessary.

“Y-yes, j-j-just give me a s-second! D-don’t’…hurt…m-me…plea-” pleaded Razz, who evidently was now so scared she was having trouble breathing, gasping for air in between words. Twilight, against her better judgement, powered down her magic in light of this. Either she was the dumbest assassin ever, or the unicorn did have an honest explanation for why her magic felt differently.

“Raspberry, take deep breaths, okay? I’m not going to hurt you, but it would be hard for you to tell me what’s going on with your magic if you pass out from oxygen deprivation, right?” Razz just nodded, but after a little more encouragement Twilight had the mare doing calming breathing exercises in the way Princess Cadence had taught her. “Feeling better?” she asked when Razz finally had regained some of her composure.

“Y-yeah…”

“Can you tell me what’s going on?”

Raspberry took a deep breath in preparation for what she was going to say. The details would need to match up to what she told Rarity and Sandalwood during that aromatherapy session, but after years of retelling the modified version of her past there would be little deviancy, if any, from either time of having to retell the tale. Besides, it was pretty much the truth anyway. Or at least most of it.

“Please, promise me you won’t freak out, okay?” pleaded Raspberry, to which Twilight gave a stern, affirming nod. With no other choice, Raspberry closed her eyes and brought up her own aura. Her horn became encased in a light blue essence, but to Twilight’s shock it wasn’t a smooth glow. Instead it was more like a fog that bubbled around the horn, as if it was dark magic. But it looked less like the dark magic that was practically synonymous with King Sombra, instead more like a version of Sunset Shimmer’s magic when the former student of Celestia had been turned into some kind of monster on the other side of the mirror where everypony had hands. But despite Sunset’s intentions at the time, especially the whole ‘brainwashing the school’ thing, whatever magic she had been using couldn’t be considered true dark magic as it had only been a result of Sunset’s magic not being fully compatible with the Element of Magic, in a form that initially wasn’t able to properly use magic in the first place.

“What’s wrong with your- **WHOA**!” Twilight started to ask, but was interrupted when Heliodor swooped close to her before landing on Raspberry’s horn, which strangely didn’t lose the unnerving fog around it, but the presence of the phoenix was enough to get her to open her eyes again.

“Princess...I know what it looks like, but I swear to you it isn’t! The truth is, I actually don’t have a lot of control over my magic. Anything stronger than basic telekinesis or my gem finding spell is too much for me to handle, even just showing it off like this takes a lot of focus to keep under control, and I don’t think I need to go into detail about what can happen should I lose that control.”

Twilight was silent as she digested this new information. The idea that a unicorn’s aura could be affected by the amount of control they had over their magic was in line with what she had observed in various instances. When Trixie was under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet, her aura had turned blood red and periodically manifested as sparks coming out of her eyes, then with Sunset Shimmer it wasn’t out of the question that her magic had gone out of control from the aforementioned incident, and Twilight herself had been encased in her aura when her magic quickly exceeded her ability to handle it during her application test to Celestia’s school. But in each case, there had been an outside acting agent or catalyst; an enchanted amulet, the Element of Magic, and Rainbow Dash’s first Sonic Rainboom. But Raspberry didn’t have any of those…then Twilight recalled Rarity had also mentioned Raspberry had had a very traumatic foalhood.

Without a response from the princess, Raspberry powered down her aura and began to tell her story once more. “I’m sure Rarity’s already told you, but growing up wasn’t easy for me, being a unicorn in an entire town of Earth ponies. I don’t know much about my bloodline, other than it’s Earth pony all the way through, even my father once said my mother’s side claimed to have originated from the Crystal Empire.”

“The Crystal Empire?” repeated Twilight in surprise. “You have ancestry among the Crystal Ponies?”

“Allegedly, although it does sort of explain how my mane and tail are sort of different.” Replied Raspberry, taking a lock of her mane hair in her hoof and holding it up. Twilight walked closer, seeing that instead of a sharp difference between the colors of the mare’s hair like with most ponies, Twilight included, the sky blue and purple instead had a gradient not unlike a crystal pony’s between them, but from a distance they looked like normal colors with a hard split between them. “Popular belief has it that before Sombra made the Empire disappear, some Crystal Ponies managed to escape and vanished among the populace of the rest of Equestria. Whether it’s true that I have Crystal Pony blood in my veins or not is irrelevant, I still was born as the only unicorn in a town full of Earth ponies.”

“But…that’s impossible!” responded Twilight, “there isn’t a single settlement in all of Equestria that doesn’t have at least a few members of any given regular pony subspecies!”

Razz just shook her head sadly. “Not in Lonesome Dove. Completely one-hundred percent Earth pony population, both when it was founded and most likely right now if the town still remains. To my knowledge, I was the only non-Earth pony to ever live there, in my short time as a resident, and nopony trusted me being able to use my magic much less try to teach me how to use it. My father especially hated my magic, always forcing me to do things physically and punishing me severely whenever he caught me trying to use magic. It hurt, both because of having to do daily chores that demanded an endurance I wasn’t gifted with at birth, and because sometimes he’d try to simply break my horn off. He never succeeded, but I’m fairly certain he’s the reason why my magic aura is so different.”

Twilight had raised a hoof to her mouth in horror. Damage to a unicorn’s horn during their childhood years and encouraging them to withhold the magic they would naturally try to discharge…It would explain why Raspberry’s magic felt so wrong; it had never been given the chance to fully develop. Additionally, if her father had tried to break off her horn multiple times during her fillyhood and probably even early adolescence, the physical trauma would certainly have left permanent damage to the ability for the horn to conduct her magic.

“I…I’m sorry…” apologized the shellshocked princess, “there…how…I had no idea…”

Oddly, Raspberry smiled, if only briefly. “It’s alright, you’re honestly the first pony who has been willing to listen to me about it, every other time anypony has seen my magic they immediately think the worst and…it never ends well for me. That’s what happened when I dared use my magic again one day and discovered my special talent in finding gems, when really I’d just been trying to pick them out of the ground with my telekinesis so I could plant some seeds. Dad was furious, his wife had died in childbirth to only give him a weak unicorn filly instead of a strong Earth son, the farm he’d been stuck with couldn’t grow crops because the soil was littered with almost worthless gemstones, and to top it all off his offspring was now even more of a reminder of everything that had gone wrong in his life.

“A few months later, I overheard him muttering how he was convinced I was in fact some kind of evil creature that kept bringing misfortune to him and it was his duty to kill me. I had no choice but to flee for my life, but since nopony in Lonesome Dove was going to protect me, I was forced to jump a train with what little I was able to take with me. Ever since, I’ve been going from town to town, using my magic to find gems that I sell at low prices simply to keep myself afloat, then merely going on my way when somepony inevitably gets the wrong idea about my magic.”

Silence reigned in Golden Oaks for what seemed like forever. Twilight just looked at the unicorn in front of her, now believing that she was in fact far stronger than she looked after having gone through such a horrible upbringing. But her pet Heliodor was certainly part of that. While he was far more than a pet, Spike was sort of the same thing to Twilight as Heliodor was to Raspberry, both males were companions that both ponies had known for the majority of their lives, and most likely in times of great distress were possibly the only ones that their counterpart mares could talk to at any time openly. Maybe there was even more to this pony then what Twilight had originally been led to believe.

“Hey, Raspberry, if it’s alright, would you like to stay for dinner?”

The addressed backpedalled in shock, Heliodor squawking in surprise, but a small smile came upon her face, and Heliodor’s momentarily after in response to his mistress smiling.

“Y-yeah, sure, why not?”


	36. Book2 Ch.11 Interludes

Rise of the Furball Chapter 11: “Interludes”

  
  


“Oh. So _that’s_ what you were talkin’ about when you mentioned the truck,” said an awestruck Babs, gazing upon the machine before her along with the rest of the crusaders.

“Eeyup, it sure is unique!” proudly replied Apple Bloom, grinning.

“So…why do you guys even have this thing? I remember Applejack sayin’ you three somehow built this.”

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all quickly traded nervous looks.

“We, uh…” started Sweetie.

“…sorta, er…” added Scootaloo.

“We got the idea from Sandalwood!” suddenly exclaimed Apple Bloom. In truth, it wasn’t that big a fib since technically the Crusaders _had_ built the vehicle that would become the truck. Figuring Babs wouldn’t know who Sandalwood was, Apple Bloom elaborated. “You wouldn’t know her; she probably just arrived around the time you last visited so she could try to set herself up as an aromatherapist at the town spa.”

Babs seemed to find slight amusement at being informed of Sandalwood’s occupation, raising an eyebrow at her cousin. “I hope you didn’t plan on surprisin’ me with a session with her, then, ‘cause I _really_ am not fond of that kind of thing.”

“Why not?” asked Sweetie, totally ignorant of the undertones of disgust in Babs’s voice. She got a look from the other Crusaders that were more on top of the subtle message.

“I’m not big on doin’ things that belong in spas.” The brown filly replied, eyes narrowing in anger. “My parents were convinced that because I’m a filly that I should inherently like things fillies normally do, like go spend hours in a spa or play house with dolls. They still won’t even have my room be painted a color that isn’t _pink_ for Celestia’s sake!”

Sweetie, ever the supporter of spending hours in the spa and playing house with dolls, didn’t understand. “What’s wrong with any of that stuff?”

“Sweetie, remember what I said back on the camping trip about why I had ‘that’ sleeping bag?” interjected Scootaloo, who understood fully what Babs was talking about.

“Camping trip?”

Apple Bloom face hoofed. “Oh for…Sweetie, you know! The one where Ah accidently ripped up your sleepin’ bag because Ah was…” She luckily caught herself right before revealing the thing Babs didn’t need to know about. “Oh, you know!”

Sweetie still didn’t understand. “But you ripped my sleeping bag because of-“ She started, before realizing how the pieces went together. “Oh, right, _that_ camping trip! Okay, I remember now, Scoot!”

Babs watched the exchange between the three with suspicious curiosity. She made a mental note to ask about what exactly happened on that camping trip, since evidently she was being intentionally left out of the loop despite being a Cutie Mark Crusader. But almost immediately something else caught her attention.

 

“Hey, girls, why do you have a cardboard cutout of a lavender unicorn in the back of the truck?  
Apple Bloom immediately seized upon the opportunity to change the topic back to being about the machine. “You mean ‘Cardlight Sparkle’ back there?”

Scootaloo stared at Apple Bloom in shock. “Wait, you were _serious_ that you had named it that?!”

“You got a better name?” shot back AB, smiling with a slightly smug expression when the pegasus could not suggest one.

Babs, in the meantime, had managed to get back into the truck bed to look at Cardlight Sparkle up close. “Uh, okay, this is sort of creepy. Isn’t this one of the princesses, only without her wings?”

“Yeah, it’s a cardboard cutout of Twilight Sparkle. Applejack found it in the back one day when Sandalwood came by to do some kind of maintenance check and AJ wanted to see if the engine could be put on a float. We don’t know where it came from, but it doesn’t seem to be doin’ anypony any harm so we just left it there.”

“Why would your sister want to remove the engine for a stupid float?” asked Babs, leaping back down to the ground. “Wouldn’t it make more sense just to decorate this thing as a float instead?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “That’s what Ah said to her, but she doesn’t want us drivin’ it because we, uh, crashed it in a way that seriously inconvenienced her, and she herself doesn’t like drivin’ it, so she just wanted to take the engine out. Don’t matter, anyway, the engine is pretty snugly secured inside that thing so removin’ it is impossible.”

“But you built it,” Babs pointed out. “Doesn’t that mean you can simply _un-_ build it to get the engine out?”

“It would be easier just to buy a new engine at that point. It’s not like the truck has a unique engine, anyway, it’s actually the same one from that golden apple float we booby-trapped.”

“You salvaged that thing? It looked totaled when it hit the river!”

“Nah, the engine was totally fine. Not to say it hasn’t given us any shortage of trouble since, though…”

Babs could only wonder at what Apple Bloom’s seemingly whimsical implications could mean, but was not given the chance to as somepony from the house shouted out **“DINNER TIME!”**  
  
“Finally!” happily exclaimed Scootaloo, doing a little jump and hovering in joy. “Let’s get this thing locked up, I’m hungry!”

Apple Bloom just rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, Scoot, gotta keep your stomach full to explain why ya can’t fly.”

“Hey!”

* * *

As the sun’s last vestiges of light faded over the horizon with night taking over the sky, the streets of the Crystal Empire saw the last stragglers of day workers return to their dwellings. But as Shining Armor looked over the domain his wife ruled over, he mused that the signs of modernization were already taking hold. Even from the lofty balcony perched near the upper middle of the Crystal Castle, he could already see the bright lights coming on at the recently opened nightclub, and the growing line of ponies standing outside, even though he was a good mile away from the action.

Just then, one of the maids came through the door. “Dinner is ready, your highnesses…um…Prince Armor, where is the princess?”

Shining Armor turned to face the servant. “Cady is…busy, at the moment. Don’t worry, I’ll go fetch her, just have the table ready for us in a few minutes.”

“Right away, your highness.” The maid curtsied and left. When the door shut behind her, Shining dropped his smile and sighed before teleporting himself to his beloved’s location. In a flash of magenta he went from the bedroom to right outside the last remaining trace of King Sombra. The secret archives that held much of the “research” the king had conducted on the hapless Crystal Ponies would have normally been considered a crime against ponykind merely by existing, with additional counts for every single book that remained in it that detailed things not meant for pony eyes. However, it had been successfully argued that simply destroying the archive would be impossible for Sombra would have certainly put protective spells around it to prevent such a thing, and that because of its depths of information about dark magics it should be exploited as a knowledge base from which better countermeasures to the evil power could be developed. Such arguments were indirectly justified to those who knew of Applejack’s brief period of lycanthropy, as the records of Sombra’s creation of the werewolves had yielded the information necessary to save the apple farmer in time along with paving the way for what Shining and Cadence had been told was “closure” for the apples.

But even with the most trustworthy mages being the only ones allowed to go through the archives, for some reason Princess Cadence had been randomly disappearing during her free time only to be found among the sinister tomes. Why she was doing this was anypony’s guess, as in addition to the spells cast to prevent the destruction of the archives outright, Sombra had also cursed the room to concentrate its utter hatred for the one who would take the throne from him, which for Cadence meant really, really bad migraines if she was only just fully inside the door frame. Shining found her writhing in agony in the middle of the room, which didn’t last long as he hastily pulled her out of it.

“Cadence! What were you doing?!” he yelled at her.

“Unh…yeah, that was probably stupid of me…” she weakly grunted, although now she was out of the archives her head no longer felt like it was going to implode and strength returning to her faculties.

“Stupid? Honey, that doesn’t even _begin_ to describe what I just saw! You know just as well as I do that it’s dangerous for you to simply be inside this doorframe, with what would happen if you went further in being pretty easy to predict!” Shining stopped his tirade, but only because the sudden adrenaline rush was wearing down and he had to catch his breath, continuing once his heart wasn’t beating so fast. “Cady, it looked like you were having a seizure, maybe you actually were for all I know, but if I hadn’t just shown up you could have died!”

“I’ve already had brushes with death at least twice, dear. I was left to starve in the caverns while Chrysalis almost married you in my place, then I almost burnt myself out trying to save this city from Sombra. It would take more than a migraine to take out an alicorn like me.”

“Not that much more, Cadence. You still haven’t fully recovered from the strain you subjected yourself to in defense of the city when Sombra cut off my magic. The fact you keep trying to overstrain yourself worries, me, whatever the reason.” He then suddenly hugged his wife tightly. “I’ve nearly lost you twice, Cady, the fact you nearly made that count go to three by repeatedly going into that room makes me worry to no end that you honestly don’t have any concept of self-preservation. Can you please promise me you’ll stop going into there?”

“I’m sorry, Shiny,” Cadence apologized, who felt stupid that he had to be the one to tell her how she was making him feel. She prided herself on her empathy, so the fact she’d been so blind to him being worried about her was a sign she wasn’t being a good wife. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have been making these trips into Sombra’s archives, but as the ruler of the Crystal Empire I have to be sure I can better handle the worst case scenario of Sombra’s return.”

“Cadence, he’s dead. He blew up! _You_ blew him up!”

“But he’s back.”

Shining broke the embrace and looked incredulously at his wife. “Dear, you can’t be serious.”

Cadence, however, had a grim expression as she looked her husband dead in the eye. “No, I can still sense his magic out there.”

“Hon, you just spent-“

“Yes, I know, I was in the room full of dark magic, but I was only in there to try and build up my endurance to it. Without your magic I couldn’t even keep up the barrier for two days under his assault, and that was only when he was at his weakest. It’s been months since then and if he has come back then he will almost certainly be stronger and attack without warning. But I know there is a pony out there using dark magic similar to his, and as no pony has ever had the kind of powerful darkness he had at his command I don’t see how it can’t be him.”

“Then let’s contact Celestia and Luna, have them send down more guards and mages, set up stronger defenses.”

 **“NO!”** shouted Cadence, her face absolutely livid. Shining took a step back out of pure fear, the last time he’d ever seen his wife that angry was back when she appeared just in time to prevent him from marrying Chrysalis. Cadence, realizing her action, immediately backed down. “Sorry, Shiny, but I can’t allow that, for the sake of the Crystal Ponies. Even though I’ve proven I’m the rightful heir to the Crystal Throne with how my cutie mark reacts in the presence of the Crystal Heart, if they even think for a moment that Sombra is coming back they’re going to lose confidence in me as their leader and everything is going to spiral out of control. Building up a guard presence is exactly the way to do that.”

Shining just nodded, but was glad his wife wasn’t angry at him. “Do the other princesses know?”

“I’ve already sent off letters to Celestia and Luna, I haven’t said anything to Twilight namely because Spike would get it first and with all the self-esteem issues he’s been having due to the new lifestyle Twilight has as a Princess, having him find out that he _didn’t_ pave the way for the defeat of Sombra is only going to make it worse.”

“Good point, but Twilight needs to know somehow and if Canterlot hasn’t told her yet then we are going to need to. But right now I’m starving and I’m not letting you keep me from my dinner.”

“Oh, please, like you need dinner. Truth is you could probably lose a few pounds that somehow have appeared now that you’re out of the guard.”

“Are you saying I’m not as strong as I was back when I threw you at Sombra?” He didn’t even give his wife a chance to respond, as in one swift motion he darted under her, stood up so she was riding his back, and then was running off with her to the dining hall, both of them laughing all the way.

___________________________________________________________________________________  
It was well past ten in the evening when Raspberry Beryl and Heliodor bid farewell to the princess and went back to their room at the hotel.

“They seemed like a good pair, don’t you think so, Spike?” asked Twilight as she closed the door behind her.

“Yeah, when you’re not trying to scare them to death that is,” the dragon who was cleaning up the plateware left from dinner snarked back.

“Oh, come now, Spike, you know that was just a big misunderstanding. Although now that I think about it, Raspberry might be a great research subject. While unicorns whose magic power is weakened from childhood traumas isn’t something new, there’s been very little exploration of the full effects such a thing would have on them.”

“Twilight, I think you’re forgetting that she’s a pony just as much as you, not a test subject.”

Twilight was silent for a moment as Spike’s words sunk in before letting out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, you’re right Spike, I shouldn’t be thinking like that. I guess it’s just that ever since becoming a princess I haven’t had much time to enjoy researching things and making new discoveries like I used to, not to mention the idea of having weak magic power seems so alien to me as I’ve been around great magic users all my life.”

Having deposited the dishes, Spike walked from the kitchen over to Twilight so he wouldn’t have to yell. “But wasn’t the whole point of you inviting Raspberry over so that you could take notes on her phoenix?”

Upon being reminded of Heliodor, Twilight unconsciously launched herself up into the air and fluttered about, happy as a lark. “Ah! Yes! Such a fascinating creature! I took so many notes!” As it would have turned out, dinner would mostly consist of Twilight asking Raspberry more questions about Heliodor and what it was like to have a phoenix as a pet. Contrary to the reserved nature of his owner, Heliodor seemed the complete opposite as he basked in the adoration being given to him by a princess. Still, pages upon pages of notes had been generated by the time Twilight had actually remembered it was dinner time and finally taken a bite.

“Yeah, sort of interesting in how he’s a bird who associates with fire that’s hanging around a pony who has trouble controlling her magic.” Commented Spike, now putting away the books Raspberry had left lying around.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at her dragon’s words. “I’m not seeing your point, Spike.”

The dragon shelved the last book, then turned to his sister. “Think about it, Twi, Beryl isn’t the first unicorn we’ve run across with magic like hers.”

“It’s not dark magic, Spike.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. Of course she isn’t Sombra reincarnated, that would be stupid. But you have to have seen the similarities between her and Sunset Shimmer.”

“You mean how her magic aura looked? I did think it looked similar to what Sunset’s magic was when she was wearing the Element of Magic, but that’s getting into advanced magical theories and the conditions are completely different. Sunset was basically an evil version of me and she went power crazy in thinking an army of young adult…non-ponies could conquer Equestria, while also using excessive amounts of magic in a form not meant to use magic. Raspberry’s horn was permanently damaged during its developmental phase and she has trouble lifting a book via telekinesis. Completely different.”

“But that’s assuming her magic follows conventional magic principles. But what if it _isn’t_ regular unicorn magic? What if it’s some new kind of magic unlike anything we’ve seen, which considering all the different kinds such as Discord’s Chaos Magic, Sombra’s Dark Magic, Chrysalis’s love-powered shapeshifting magic, Nightmare Moon’s…Nightmare Magic, my own dragon magic, and even the highest level unicorn spells even _you_ still can’t do despite not even being a unicorn anymore. I think we need to watch her closely, Twilight, something doesn’t seem right with her.”

Utter silence ruled the bottom floor of Golden Oaks for what seemed like hours before Twilight finally recovered from being struck speechless to ask the most pressing question Spike had now put in her mind;

“Spike, when did _you_ become such an expert at knowing different magic type classifications?”

The dragon laughed. “Oh, come on, Twi, why are you surprised at that? You’ve dragged me along on enough crazy adventures and I doing the same to you occasionally, it’s not out of the question that I’ve learned a thing or two over the years.”

Twilight trotted over to nuzzle the baby reptilian she loved like a brother. “And that, Spike, is why you are my number one assistant.”

“You mean number one _royal_ assistant, that is,” corrected Spike, prompting both of them to laugh.

_________________________________________________________________________________  
“Why do you even _have_ that sleeping bag?” asked Babs as she took Scootaloo’s _Iron Mare_ sleeping bag out of the red wagon attached to Scoot’s Scooter.

“Mom and dad got it for me back when they thought I was going to turn out more like Sweetie Belle instead of Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo lied.

“Hey!” shouted Sweetie Belle from the top of the treehouse ramp, only to find Scootaloo’s heart sleeping bag flying towards her. Without thinking she tried to use her magic to slow it down, but as her magic had only just finally begun to manifest as sparks there was no change in the flying object as it hit her, propelling the tiny unicorn back into the clubhouse proper.

“C’mon, Sweetie, Ah doubt Scoot meant that as an insult,” laughed Apple Bloom who was busy unrolling her sleeping bag, the one Babs would be using still tied into a giant roll in the corner closest to her. To finish celebrating Babs having returned to the CMC fold, the foursome would spend a sleepover in the CMC treehouse with the activity being a “cutie mark acquisition” planning session that would take the Crusaders all the way through to the end of the year.

“Nopony has told me why Sweetie needs to borrow Scootaloo’s sleeping bag,” said Babs, who by now had entered the treehouse and was unpacking the sleeping bag she herself was borrowing from her Apple relatives. Appearance wise it was no different from Apple Bloom’s, which had been the same one she’d taken on the school camping trip.

“My sleeping bag got ripped up, remember?” said the unicorn.

“How did that happen, exactly? You guys said that camping trip was over a month ago and if I remember correctly, isn’t your sister Rarity a seamstress? Couldn’t she just patch up a ripped bag?”

“She said she would, but only when she had a chance. She’s been dealing with a bunch of orders lately, plus all of her free time has been put towards making new Hearth’s Warming costumes for the school.”

Apple Bloom couldn’t help but chuckle. “Of course, since Sweetie is the only unicorn filly in our class, she gets to be Princess Platinum by default, and Rarity is just obsessin’ over making the costume perfect for her.”

“Hey, maybe I’ll just get my cutie mark in acting! After all, making costumes for the class play was how Rarity got her cutie mark!”

“Whoa, hold on girls!” interrupted Scootaloo, “we aren’t ready to start planning how we’re gonna get our cutie marks just yet! This isn’t a real sleep over yet!”

“It isn’t?” inquired Babs, before suddenly receiving a giant, heart-covered pillow blow to the face.

“Not until we have an all-out PILLOW FIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT _!”_  
  
All semblance of organization fell to the wayside as the four fillies quickly started darting all over the room, pillows and feathers (not all of them orange) flying all over the place.

* * *

Discord didn’t have much time. He was already in enough trouble with Celestia as she had to have figured out he’d been out of Castle Canterlot all day by now, and earlier in the week he’d been acting far out of his normal habit of tilting every single painting he passed exactly 3.14 degrees clockwise, among other pranks. Instead, he’d actually been spending a lot of time in the library, looking at phoenix migration patterns from a few years ago. He didn’t have an exact location nailed down, nor was he admittedly anywhere near as smart with academics as Twilight (though he’d sooner be turned back to stone than tell her), but if the rough general direction he’d come up with was right then what he was looking for should be close.

Twilight had no idea, but Discord had never placed more importance on anything in his entire life than finding the answer to whether or not the green phoenix that currently lived near Ponyville was in fact a legitimate green phoenix. He’d spent the entire day traveling from town to town in a plethora of disguises and doing his best as to not arouse suspicion, as tracking where the green phoenix had been proved a little too easy. The adventures of ‘Heliodor’ as he’d learned to be the phoenix’s name, as well as his pony counterpart ‘Raspberry Beryl” all seemed disturbingly consistent with what happened around the time they left for another settlement. Of course, he had suspected to be told of such things before even beginning his quest for answers. In fact, since he knew Raspberry Beryl and Heliodor to be in Ponyville, he would have massively preferred to just go and talk to them himself. But, being an infamous chaos spirit who had pissed off every single living thing on the planet during his brief victory over the Elements of Harmony, he knew that wasn’t going to happen. But maybe if he-

“DISCORD!"

  
The sudden flash of light that revealed a very irate sun princess sent Discord crashing down into the ground, shattering him into a bunch of separated parts as if he’d been a child’s toy based on an anthropomorphic potato.

“Ah, Celestia!” he calmly replied back, while his rear legs inched themselves closer to his lower torso,"I know I’ve sort of been going around Equestria all day, but I swear I’ve been a good boy and-“

“You promised me that you wouldn’t go off doing your own thing without running it by me first. The fact some part of Equestria _isn’t_ defying the laws of physics right now is the only thing keeping me from tightening the metaphorical collar around your neck.”

“As I pledged to you that I was reformed, I have no intention to break that promise. However, my current business is of a different matter of significantly more importance and to somebody above even your station, princess.”

“I am the highest authority in the land, Discord, but if you have allied yourself with a treasonous power who would-“

“Oh for heaven’s sake- I’m carrying out something _your mother_ asked me to do millennia ago!”

Celestia’s normally unbreakable expression of displeasure shattered upon the mentioning that Discord was following orders from Queen Faust herself. “Impossible…” was all she could manage in her shock.

Discord, in turn, laughed, but in a way that implied as if it was a response to a good natured joke and not out of any kind of malice. “I know you still can’t believe your mother and I were ever able to tolerate each other, much less be good friends, but here’s the proof all the same.” Holding his still-detached right arm in his left, he used his now super-extended arm to reach inside his vacant arm slot and pulled out an old scroll, which he held out for Celestia to take in her telekinesis. The instant recognition on her face that clearly was indicative of the familiarity she felt in the magic still in the scroll let Discord relax a bit now that he wasn’t about to spend a few hours on the moon.

“When did she give you this?”

“She wrote it shortly before her passing from this world, Verna was the one who actually delivered it to me on her final flight from Castle Everfree. You see, Celestia, you and Luna have your own little thousand-year chess games with the Elements and Star Swirl’s book and…whatever was going on with the Crystal Empire, I honestly don’t know as I personally thought Sombra wasn’t a legitimate problem back then or when he temporarily came back. Regardless, you’re not the only immortal from that time who has their own long-term plans now seeing the light of day, and while it’s her magic preventing me from sharing my knowledge of this new problem with you, I swear on Queen Faust’s name that I act only in her interest and I ask you for your trust in me on the matter, as insanely idiotic a move as that sounds.”

Celestia thought hard for a few minutes before she gave her answer. “Fine, if the Queen saw fit to place her trust in you on this matter, then I have no ground to do otherwise. Nor does Luna, Cadence, or Twilight. However, I _do_ still want you to let me know of what you are at least doing when you have to leave the castle, starting with where you were going before I showed up.”

“Of course, your highness, and in fact that’s my destination right over there.” Replied the now fully reassembled Discord, pointing towards a large cave opening they happened to be standing in front of. “Let’s take a look inside, shall we?”

And so Celestia, against her better judgement, followed the Dragonequis into the cave. There wasn’t much in the cave, which looked like it had been abandoned for years, but several rafters looked like they’d been damaged if not outright ripped out of their places, and the opening of the cave wasn’t even out of sight before Discord snapped his fingers and something winked out from a crevice that was barely even visible only to appear in his lion paw. It was a tiny green feather, long since faded with the passage of time but still bore enough luster to easily be identifiable as having come from a phoenix.

“So, the green phoenix Twilight was so eager about…it’s the real deal?” asked Celestia.

“As real as you or me, Celestia,”Discord said gravely, “and as real as everything else that phoenix heralds.”

___________________________________________________________________________________  
It was to the sound of rustling that Babs woke to. After a wild session of fierce pillow fighting and the subsequent wild planning session for Crusades to go on for cutie marks, all four fillies had been plum tired by the end of it all and conked out quickly. Or so it had seemed.

“Oh, sorry, cos’, Ah didn’t mean to disturb you.” Said Apple Bloom, who for some reason seemed exhausted, like she’d run several miles. She also appeared to be taking what looked like crackers out of a drawer.

“Did you just go out runnin’ or somethin’?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, no. Ah didn’t go runnin’. Just a bad dream, that’s all. Ah figured maybe if Ah had a small, late night snack it would help.”

“Ah. Mind if I have a midnight snack, too?”

“Uh, yeah su- _yawn_ -rrre, just close up the bag when you’rrre done.”

Babs noticed that Apple Bloom’s “r’s” suddenly had begun to slur, sounding huskier compared to her otherwise normal accent. There was further cause for concern when Babs had gotten up and passed Apple Bloom as the latter went to her sleeping bag, for her swishing tail seemed to have a leaf or two caught in it. For somepony who had only been up at this hour and looking exhausted from a nightmare, why did she have lose foliage in her tail?

But the most damning evidence was in the snack drawer. As Babs fished out some cheese crackers, she noted the bag of dog treats stuffed in the back and mostly obscured by the other packaged food stuffs. Curiosity taking hold, she reached back and pulled it out, but only after hearing Apple Bloom’s rather loud snores.

It was a bag of Happy Puppy brand Dog Biscuits. Bacon Flavor.

And inside the oddly only half-sealed bag were bits of all too familiar yellow fur.

Her heart beginning to race, Babs looked back at the form of her sleeping cousin. Had Apple Bloom _really_ been awake because of a nightmare, or was it in fact Babs that had possibly just walked into one?

“N-no, that’s silly!” whispered Babs to herself, hastily closing the dog biscuit bag and returning it to its hiding spot before she herself went back to sleep. But it was only a light sleep, as suddenly everything that had seemed off about this return to Ponyville started to fit into place and the stories of werewolves having actually existed, as proven by Iron Will’s execution of the last one, made more sense.

 _But what if that_ wasn’t _the last werewolf_ thought Babs, _what if the last one is my own cousin?_


	37. Book2 Ch.12 Beyond Monday

Rise of the Furball Chapter 12: “Beyond Monday”

Cheerilee was happily trotting from her little house on the east side of town to the little red schoolhouse. Usually her happiness was just out of her normal, cheerful nature and going back to partake in her life’s calling that was teaching the young fillies and colts of Ponyville the foundation of their life’s education. Today, however, was different, as evidenced by her fortunate overtaking of the Crusaders Trio plus one.

“Good morning, girls!” greeted the teacher.

“Morning, Miss Cheerilee!” they all replied back, except the odd one out of their number, who seemed a bit shy.

“And you must be Babs, correct?”

“Yes m’am,” answered Babs. “I take it you’re my new teach?”

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow at the way Babs had addressed her. It sounded suspicious, especially considering how Babs’ name now brought back vague memories of observed behavior from last year’s summer during the harvest festival. “Uh, ‘teach’?”

“It’s slang, Miss Cheerilee. Babs is from Manehatten.” Interjected Apple Bloom.

“Yeah, it’s what everypony calls the instructors back home. I didn’t mean to insult you, Miss. Cheerilee,” apologized Babs.

The educator was placated by the brown filly’s apology. “It’s alright, Babs, I’m sure we’ll get along just fine. Now, I believe you’re supposed to give me some papers about where you left off on your studies at your previous school so I can set you up to be on track with the rest of your new classmates?”

“Uh-huh!” the filly answered, reaching over to take out some various official looking documents from her saddlebag and handed them over to Cheerilee. The teacher quickly skimmed them, noting that Bab’s previous teacher, a Mr. Chalk Stick, had written comments about how she was somewhat of a poor performer in academics and had trouble socially with others prior to an extended summer stay with a relative, after which she had become a much better student. Going off of the grade markings, it was no surprise she fell right within the average that was held by the other three fillies in front of her.

“Alright, everything seems to be in order,” said Cheerilee, putting the papers in her own saddlebag to review in-depth later, “right now I think we all should be on our way to the schoolhouse so you can meet the rest of your new class, Babs!”The addressed filly eagerly nodded, and together the five ponies headed towards the local institution of learning.

* * *

It was already ten in the morning when Raspberry Beryl woke to the sound of a happily tweeting phoenix.

“Well, good * _yawn_ * morning Hellee!” said the unicorn, stretching and rolling herself out of the bed to begin her daily regimen. Ever since moving into the Traveler’s Retreat she had come to appreciate being able to go out to interact with other ponies without a musky odor reeking from her coat. Most ponies were skeptical of her in general, since she couldn’t say her gem business was stable enough to provide a more permanent housing like most ponies. Smelling like a homeless vagrant was not a way to make herself more appealing as somepony to talk too.

“CAW!” replied a perky Heliodor, whose morning wash routine was limited to just incidental preening. He usually preferred to wash himself more fully in the evening before sleep, especially when Raspberry helped him get the spots on his back he couldn’t reach.

“Do we have any more deliveries of gems to make today?”

Heliodor flapped over to where the saddlebag had been laid the previous night. Prior to waiting for the princess at Golden Oaks, they had made some deliveries around down and picked up new ones. As Razz sang a slightly off-tune melody, Heliodor opened up a larger bag that stayed in the room at all times and pulled out various pouches full of gems. He would even have gone so far as to open the bags and sort out the orders himself, but he couldn’t read the various notes given from clients so he left that to Raspberry. In truth, she was perfectly literate herself and could manipulate a pen telekinetically to write notes, but due to her magic aura’s appearance she simply used the excuse that having separate notes from her clients helped he keep the deliveries organized.

A few minutes later the refreshed unicorn emerged from the bathroom and after a quick nuzzle of thank you to her bird, she set to work in dividing up her materials. She had enough, but only barely, so she’d need to go get some more soon to refill her stock. Of course, her method of finding gems relied on her leaving Ponyville for a time to be closer to her source, so she’d need to pick up some more supplies. She didn’t like it, but because of her magic’s limitations it was the only way to stockpile enough gems of all kinds without having to make even more trips back and forth.

The rumbling in her stomach told her there was something even more pressing, to which Heliodor’s tweets agreed.

“Breakfast time it is, then,” laughed Raspberry.

* * *

The sudden increase in volume of the phoenix signaled to Cashmere and Ascot that their longest staying resident was finally coming down for breakfast.

“I’ll get the roasted almonds.” Said Ascot, opening his wings and gliding over to the kitchen to fetch the favored meal of the phoenix. Cashmere, meanwhile, merely picked up a plate and began to fill it with a large portion of food from the food bar.

“Morning, Cashmere and Ascot!” greeted the cheerful Beryl as she descended down the stairs and over to the dining area. Sitting down, the earth pony mare quickly put down the overloaded food plate in front of her. “Oh, wow, this is a lot, I really don’t think-“

“Eat as much as you want, dear,“ Cashmere said, cutting off Razz’ statement with a smile. “You always try to eat as little as you can, but I know you have a big appetite and you’ve always insisted on eating as little as you can to try and not be a burden to us, so all you’re doing is cheating yourself out of a decent meal. So, please, eat all you want, even if it’s just to humor an old mare like me.”

Mornings at the Traveler’s Retreat were very much like a small restaurant. The building was originally a large private house but after some years of remodeling it was capable of serving about fifty guests at once for breakfast. However, rarely was it ever at even half capacity, which the proprietors Cashmere and Ascot, a slightly elderly mixed pony couple, didn’t mind too much as their operating costs were low as a result. They didn’t mind the revenue being also relatively minimal, as they could have retired years ago from the profits they’d made back during the Retreat’s heyday. Really, the only reason they kept the old bed and breakfast running was merely to provide a low-cost alternative for ponies and non-ponies alike. The Retreat was as simple as a rest stop could get; for a flat fee per night for a double bedroom, guests got a lightly furnished yet comfortable and clean place to stay the night, complete with an equally furnished working bathroom, then in the morning a complimentary continental breakfast was provided in the dining area for guests before they checked out and were on their way. It wasn’t like more modern hotels which had pools, full room service, and special higher rate rooms like penthouses or ones with guest capacity beyond two, but for most ponies who even in the present were traveling from town to town with a limited, non-solid income source, the Retreat was everything they could possibly want at the end of a long day.

Of course, the majorities of those customers only were just passing through or had short-term business in Ponyville, on average most guests rarely stayed more than a week at most. The one exception in all the years the Retreat had been running was, of course, Raspberry Beryl and her very unique pet, the latter of whom chirped happily when Ascot brought his favorite food in from the kitchen. Normally, the couple wouldn’t let guests bring highly magical pets in as the potential damage they could do would rack up massive damage bills which the insurance would need to pay for, but after a few select incidents the insurance premium had gotten so high that they just couldn’t risk it. But as the still-hovering Ascot suddenly had to land when his right wing cramped up, both he and his beloved Cashmere were reminded of the reason why Heliodor was the exception.

A few minutes later, Raspberry took her now empty plate and put it on the soiled plateware tray to be washed up for tomorrow, Heliodor doing the same with his empty bowl. Then after he landed on her horn, the duo walked over to the main reception desk where Ascot currently was on duty to receive any newcomers.

“Did you enjoy breakfast?” the pegasus asked.

“Oh, yes! It was delicious, as always Mr. Ascot!” confirmed Raspberry, Heliodor doing the same by simply nodding vigorously.

“That’s good to hear. Anyway, I guess it’s about that time again when you need to go on leave?”

“Yeah, if it’s not too much trouble I’ll just check out again. I don’t know when I’ll be back, though, so feel free to let out the room I’ve been using.”

“Actually, about that…”said Cashmere, walking up behind her husband to join him at the desk, “Raspberry, Scotty and I have been discussing it, but we are just curious; how long do you plan to keep on doing this, paying the nightly rate for a mere hotel room with an included breakfast, then simply checking out for a brief period of time, before coming back to rent out one of our rooms for a few weeks all over again?”

“Well, I, um…” Raspberry muttered as she blushed, “...to be honest I don’t think I’ll be able to look into a more stable residential option for a long time, but if it’s a problem for you then I can-“

She didn’t get the chance to finish before Ascot burst out laughing. “Razz, my dear! You really need to stop acting like you’re such a burden, if anything you’ve been our best resident of all time. But this constant checking in-and-out and the fact you refuse to pay anything less than the per-night fee seems highly inefficient for your financial situation.”

Cashmere took over for her husband, “That’s why we’ve decided to offer you something…a little different. While Scotty and I do pride ourselves in keeping this old joint afloat with clean rooms, they’re far from being as cozy as an apartment and since you like staying here so much, we think you do deserve better.”

Raspberry was confused. “But all you have are regular double rooms, right?”

The elderly earth pony mare chuckled. “For guests who don’t plan on staying nearly as long as you have, honey. However, we do have a private guest room back in the main part of the living quarters that we never use, so if you’re willing we can simply rent that out to you for a longer period of time so you can reside here in a fair bit higher degree of comfort and not have to constantly check in and out when you need to go replenish your gem stocks.”

The unicorn was taken aback. “R-really? I appreciate it, really, I do! Except… that would just make other ponies think I’ve got better standing than them, which in turn wouldn’t be good for your business.”

Unexpectedly, the warm smile Cashmere wore didn’t falter. “Then what if we just hired you on as a helper?”

“You…you want to hire _me?_ ”

“Why not? Every time you ‘check out’ of a room, it’s almost always cleaner than it was when we gave it to you, both Scotty and I think you’re an absolute joy to have around, and you can keep doing your business of selling gems in town so having a side job here at the place you live means you’ll earn your keep and get a little extra boost in your average income. And don’t worry about our finances, dear, we’ve still got enough of an income going into our accounts from the usual crowd, but you’ve helped us in so many ways that we’ve decided it’s time we helped you out a little.

“That…that’s so kind of you…” Raspberry was truly at a loss for words. A better living situation _and_ an additional source of income simply by doing things she was only too happy to do for two ponies who had opened their home to her? Fortune truly seemed to be looking up for her now, the tears welling up in her eyes only stopped when a small brown pegasus filly tapped at her leg.

“Excuse me, miss, but is that a _real_ phoenix?” the blonde filly asked, her green eyes wide with wonder.

“Cinnamon Star!” boomed a much older mare’s voice, who quickly came up to the growing assembly of ponies before Razz could even get a word out. “I’m sorry if my daughter is bothering you, ma’am, she hasn’t taken her eyes off your pet ever since you brought him into the dining area.”

“Oh, it’s quite alright!” the unicorn answered back with a smile, “I just hope Heliodor here hasn’t been too much of a distraction, since it looks like you’re checking out.” Indeed, a large pegasus stallion was approaching while hauling some large luggage with him.

“Oh, it’s not your fault, Cinnamon is just as curious as fillies her age all are, and after all we were her age too, once, right?” The mare failed to catch the slight wince made by the unicorn at the implication her years as a filly ever had that kind of luxury as she turned to address her offspring. “Come along, now, Cinnamon, just be patient for a little while as daddy and I check us out, then we’ll be on our way to Cloudsdale to visit grandma.”

“But…but I wanna play with the phoenix!” Cinnamon whined.

“Actually, if it would help…” began Raspberry, “I can take your daughter outside so she can play with my pet while you and your husband finish checking out. Would that work?” The approving nods from Cashmere and Ascot boosted Razz’s confidence.

“Why, yes, if you could that would be very sweet of you,” replied the mother, while Cinnamon merely needed a nod before racing out the front door and past her father. Heliodor followed suit, eager to have a new playmate, and Raspberry soon behind.

“Does she work here?” the father asked as he finally approached the reception desk, evidently worried about his daughter playing with a potentially dangerous magical bird and its handler.

A knowing glance between Ascot and Cashmere was exchanged before Ascot said with a grin; “Today is her first day, as a matter of fact.”

* * *

Recess at Ponyville Elementary saw battle lines being drawn as Diamond Tiara moved to confront her former ally.

“Gee, I guess if you’re here at school, then maybe hanging around the Cutie Mark Crybabies has softened you up!” taunted Tiara.

“Aren’t you highly original, considerin’ I’m the one who called the Crusaders ‘crybabies’ in the first place, and frankly I don’t see any cryin’ goin’ on anyway so if that was supposed to be an insult then you suck at them, clearly.” Retorted Babs.

“You were on my side, the _right_ side, once Babs, I don’t know why you decided to double-cross and go over to loserville but don’t think you can move onto _my_ turf and expect me to be all nice.”

“Oh, please, you think you’re hot just 'cause your parents have a lot of money, but you’re not. I’m somepony who comes from a high society family, I’ve _seen_ mean ponies, both in school and out, back home in Manehatten, and you don’t even _begin_ to qualify as rankin’ among them!”

Diamond gritted her teeth, for once again she was being bested by a member of that damnable Apple Family. At least this time it was by somepony who actually had wealth and social standing, things the pink pony respected, but that didn’t really make it any less humiliating. Although once again Tiara did have a trick up her metaphorical sleeve, one that wouldn’t be as much of a double-edged sword as insulting Apple Bloom’s lack of parents.

Keeping her angry face, she walked over to Babs. “Oh yeah? Well then, let me tell you something.” Babs held her ground, which was what Tiara wanted as she but her muzzle next to the brown filly’s ear and whispered; “Not everything is as you think it is, Babs. I may be unable to pose much of a threat to you, but at least I’m not the one living in the same house as a monster or two.”

Babs’s narrowed eyes went wide, pupils shrinking, as the words registered in her brain. Quickly regaining composure, she turned to look her once-friend in the eyes and whispered back “What do you mean by _that_ exactly?”

Tiara smiled at how her words had found their mark, the change in eye state had been only for a moment but she’d seen it. “I’m sure you heard how your older cousin Applejack and her friends helped that Iron Will guy defeat the ‘last known werewolf’ or whatever, right?”

“Uh-huh…”

Diamond leaned in so that the tip of her muzzle almost touched Babs’, grinning evilly. “Let’s just say Apple Bloom is the current holder of that title.” Without further argument, the spoiled filly then turned and trotted away to rendezvous with Silver Spoon, the exchange of hostilities over and the schoolyard returning to a less tense state.

“What was that all about?” asked Scootaloo, who along with Sweetie and Apple Bloom now moved to Babs’s side.

Babs just shrugged. “I dunno, maybe it was just some sort of intimidation kind of thing?”

Suddenly, Apple Bloom stiffened. “Hold that thought, Ah gotta go use the little filly’s room!” The bow-wearing pony then took off at a sprint back to the schoolhouse to do her business.

The second Apple Bloom was out of view, Sweetie and Scoot suddenly found themselves drawn into a huddle by Babs. “Girls, I know it sounds crazy, but Tiara might have just tried givin’ us a warnin’ about Apple Bloom.”

“Say _what_ now?” asked Scoot, incredulously.

“The stuff she was whisperin’ to me, it was about that werewolf business Applejack was involved with. Tiara was implyin’ that somehow Apple Bloom is a werewolf, too, because she’s ‘the last’ of them or somethin’.”

“That’s silly!” laughed Sweetie, although Babs thought there was a slight hesitation in the unicorn’s reaction.

“I actually think she might be on to somethin’.”

Scootaloo gave Babs her best ‘you can’t be serious’ look. “Really? You’re going to believe something Diamond Tiara said that was meant to scare us? How would she even _know_ Apple Bloom is a werewolf? I don’t know if she told you after last weekend’s sleep over in the treehouse, but she really kicked Diamond Tiara’s flank in an argument a while ago, and tensions between those two have been higher than ever.”

“I don’t know, Scootaloo, but I honestly would not believe her if it wasn’t the fact I already suspected my cousin of bein’ a werewolf already.”

“Why? You’ve only been in Ponyville for two days!” pointed out Sweetie.

“Two-and-a-half, technically, includin’ nights, and it was the night of our sleepover that I started wonderin’ about Apple Bloom. She woke me up in the middle of the night by accident while goin’ through that snack drawer, sayin’ to me that it was a bad nightmare that had woken her up earlier and why she looked so exhausted and not because she had gone for a midnight run. But then she started slurrin’ her R’s after a big yawn, she had leaves stuck in her tail which would be impossible for somepony to have if they hadn’t left the treehouse, and there was a half-open bag of bacon flavor dog treats in the back of the snack drawer!”

“Uh, the dog biscuits are for Winona.” Said Sweetie.

“Then why were they hidden in the back of the snack drawer, where I found the bag half-open, and there were long strands of fur of the same color as Apple Bloom’s coat?”

“Watcha talkin’ about?” said Apple Bloom, having returned from the restroom.

“Babs thinks you’re a werewolf because of something you did the night of the sleepover and Diamond Tiara’s scare tactics.” Said Sweetie.

“W-what?” exclaimed Apple Bloom, taking a step back, then faced Babs. “What in Equestria makes you think Ah’m a werewolf?” Babs went over a quick summary of the ‘evidence’, but Apple Bloom just laughed. “Jeez, Babs, you just had to ask about all that yesterday. It was the middle of the night and we were both tired, the ‘leaves’ you saw in mah tail were just hair clips Ah use to keep its shape at night, mah speech was gettin’ slurred because Ah was tired, and mah fur in the dog biscuits bag probably was left over from the last time Ah opened it to give some treats to Winona. It bein’ half-open just means Ah didn’t check if Ah closed it fully.”

“Yeah, plus if Apple Bloom was a lycan...er...lycanthreeope, don’t you think we’d know about it?” said Scootaloo, “after all it would be kind of hard to hide something as big as _that_ from the rest of us Crusaders!” The foursome shared a laugh with Babs apologizing for the misconception, but deep down Babs wasn’t truly convinced. She’d need to observe Apple Bloom a bit more just to be sure.

* * *

“Raspberry, darling! I’m so glad you could join me for lunch!” happily greeted Rarity as Raspberry appeared in the doorway of _The_ _Bannered Mare._

  
“Oh, it’s no trouble. I’m going to have to leave town for a few days anyway as my gem inventory is almost completely dried up after all of today’s deliveries, so I might as well live a bit more luxuriously before going back into the wilds,” replied the dark red unicorn, her phoenix nestled comfortably in an empty saddlebag pocket instead of his usual horn perch.

“But Raspberry, if you want to live in the lap of luxury, my guest room at the Boutique is still available!” the alabaster fashionista reminded her gem distributor, while the waiter led the pair of unicorns to a table.

“Actually, Cashmere and Ascot offered me their guest room for rent and a part time job in helping run the _Retreat_ so I can have a little extra income,” Razz sheepishly replied, afraid of offending her best customer.

Rarity, however, was anything but offended. “Why, that’s fantastic! I’ll be honest in that I’ve always worried about your financial situation, how you can sell so many precious stones for your prices has always been…suspect. I feel dreadful for even thinking you would be so underhoofed as to sell forgeries, since you are by far one of the nicest ponies in the kingdom as far as I’m concerned, much less the fact I don’t even know how you could make fake gems in the first place, so while it is very selfish of me to say so I am glad for my sake you are finally in more stable living conditions.”

The two unicorns spent the next half hour or so idly chatting about all kinds of things, Raspberry in particular being the most open she’d ever been with Rarity as her self-confidence had never been higher. Everything had been going Raspberry’s way today, to the point it was the best day of her life. At least right up until Rarity mentioned she needed to place a special gem order.

“I know you usually specialize in the smaller sizes of gemstones, but if there is any way you can find a large diamond for me I’d be ever so grateful.”

Raspberry had been taking a bite out of her Hayball Sandwich when Rarity had dropped the bomb. “Wh- _cough-_ what?” gagged the unicorn as the bite she’d taken went down the wrong way, finally going down after a hasty swig of water. “Sorry, you kind of took me by surprise there! But, er, how big are we talking?” Heliodor, who had largely ignored the small talk going on in favor of devouring the plate of French fries served to him, suddenly seemed to take interest as well.

“Well, it needs to be about…” started Rarity, the fork in her hoof idly spinning the eggplant Parmesan in front of her into a spiraled mess. “Actually, let me show you.” The diamond shaped clasp on her saddlebags opened up as a blue aura encased crown floated out of it and landed in front of Raspberry. “I’ve been working on Sweetie Belle’s Princess Platinum costume for the Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant the school is putting on. It’s all but outright guaranteed Sweetie will get the part, since she’s the only female unicorn in her class and since I once performed the role in Canterlot two years ago it’s a given she’ll whine and cry until Cheerilee gives her the part anyway. But she also wanted the costume to be ready for Nightmare Night, with me wearing my own costume for the same role so we can be a pair of pretty princesses.” The artificially accented unicorn couldn’t help but giggle at how cute they would look before continuing. “However, I wanted to try a different design for Sweetie’s costume, and the major stumbling block has been trying to find a centerpiece for her crown. I was going to go find a suitable diamond myself and not trouble you with this, but this past weekend I had half the town ask for me to repair or fabricate Nightmare Night costumes and I simply cannot make time to find the gem I need to finish that tiara.”

Raspberry took the tiara in her hoof and looked it over. The ‘crown’ wasn’t so much an actual headpiece as it was just a piece of metal framework, but due to its construction the gem inset placement at the center of the crown had to be finished before any fabric would be able to get added. As for the diamond, it wouldn’t need to be _giant_ but the size Rarity seemed to be implying was the desired property of what she needed was still well beyond what Raspberry normally sold. It would be difficult and potentially risky to acquire such a gem for Rarity.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” Answered Raspberry, storing the crown in her saddlebag, “I’ll maybe need a few days to find it, but since you’re my best customer I think I can fill this ‘special order’ as it were.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” thanked Rarity, before regaining her composure, “Um, so yes, if you could fill that order that would be fantastic. Of course, I’ve got some ‘regular order’ requests for you, too, if you don’t mind.”

Raspberry just shook her head before turning to look at Heelee. “Guess we’ll be camping out for gems a bit longer than we thought, eh?” In turn, the bird merely smiled and raised an eyebrow, a look Razz knew to mean something along the lines of ‘bring it on’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cut out the Authors note of this chapter. It was just a link to a blogpost about a teaser for a story unrelated to the series I'm Compiling now. Also I'm not sure about the rules for links to outgoing websites so I'm just going to take it safe.


	38. Book2 Ch.13 Grounded Flight

Rise of the Furball Chapter 13: “Grounded Flight”

  


Apple Bloom was in one heck of a pickle. In just slightly over a month and a half, she’d gone from her regular old self as a farm filly living a normal life (with some exceptions thanks to her sister being the Element of Honesty) to living something close to a double life thanks to having been cursed with lycanthropy by means she still didn’t understand. It was bad enough that she kept having to risk discovery once a week to go on midnight runs, her secret being exposed if anypony in the house heard her leave the house, or if they came to check on her while she was out, but not running would just drive her crazy with all that pent up energy she wouldn’t be able to expel. It probably helped that she had plenty of experience sneaking out at night for Crusader related reasons. But even when she had her body under control, it was still hard to make it through the average school day. Her improved hearing sometimes gave her slight migraines due to her eardrums being able to listen to much higher frequencies, she occasionally had the urge to just stick her tongue out and pant during class, and then to top it all off she now had to deal with possibly _two_ others who were possibly privy to her secret and could bring disaster on top of her head.

In retrospect, it had been completely stupid to use her new form to scare the crap out of Diamond Tiara, regardless of how much she’d deserved it. After hearing that Diamond Tiara was still of the opinion that she was an actual werewolf, the sudden cold ‘burn’ she’d gotten from DT’s silver friendship bracelet from a little while back was making more sense and while DT didn’t have the resources to harm Apple Bloom severely, she could make her life hell.

But more worrisome was Babs. She hadn’t even been in Ponyville a full day before she was on track to figuring out what Apple Bloom had been hiding. Frankly, it was pure luck Apple Bloom had decided to shift back after her run _before_ going for the dog treats, or Babs would have known the truth right away. Diamond Tiara may have been more of a vindictive little brat with all intentions to ruin Apple Bloom, but at least she lived in another house. Babs practically was now bunking in the room next to Apple Bloom and even though was truly a nice pony wouldn’t hesitate to tell the rest of the Apples what her cousin had become. In fairness, Babs most likely would do so out of fear instead of any ill intent towards Apple Bloom, but the end result would be the same; disastrous.

Finally, the school bell rang for the final time, letting loose the small horde of fillies and colts back into the world. Babs ended up needing to use the little fillies room this time, leaving Apple Bloom free to confide in her friends.

“What am Ah gonna do?!” moaned Apple Bloom. “She can’t ever learn what Ah am, if she finds out then the rest of mah family will find out and Ah can’t let that happen!”

“You need to calm down, first of all,” reasoned Scootaloo. “As long as you can keep your wild side under control for a while, Babs will probably forget about the whole thing.”

“Easier said than done: _You’re_ not the one shoving dog treats in your mouth like candy,” glumly replied Apple Bloom.

“Well, why don’t you just tell Babs the truth?” suggested Sweetie. “I mean, that’s probably what we should have done in the first place. Yeah, she’s your family, no denying that, but the whole ‘Bad Seed’ thing we all went through the first time she visited was because nopony actually communicated with each other.”

“Because tellin’ her would mean havin’ to explain the whole family history with werewolves, includin’ Applejack’s bit, and Ah can’t do that. AJ would blow a fuse if she knew Ah’d already told you about what really went down in the Everfree that night.” Further discussion on the subject was cut as Babs returned, prompting the foursome to walk off from school talking about how they would try to get their cutie marks, all the while the two Apple Family cousins wary of each other.

__

“There, that should do it!” a relieved farm mare exclaimed as the last crossbeam went into place. The heavy rainstorm that had taken place a little over two weeks ago hadn’t directly caused any major damage to the property on Sweet Apple Acres, but since then the crossbeams on some sections of the fence marking the edge of the farm had started to show advanced signs of rotting. Thus, most of the day had been spent hauling around a cart full of replacement beams and swapping them in. It hadn’t been hard physical labor in so far as it had been maddeningly repetitive, but it was a nice change of pace from continuously bucking the seemingly infinite number of apple trees spread across her family’s land.

Taking a moment to rest before hauling the bad fence beams to the barn to be turned into firewood, Applejack looked out across the land and took in the sights. Most ponies who lived in the main part of town and other cities would just see an endless expanse of unending work, ranging from actual crop harvesting to providing for the livestock and of course the constant trouble of keeping the buildings standing. She too had once only seen the farm that way, years ago, although she had also been a mere filly who didn’t know much about the world. Applejack could not recall how much influence her desire to see the urban side of pony society had actually been in her motivations to leave the farm, at least in comparison to having to deal with the sudden deaths of her parents. Maybe she’d left the farm more out of a need to get away from it all, to remove herself from the life that had caused her pain she didn’t fully understand at the time.

But none of that mattered in the long run, since as she’d realized upon seeing that magical rainbow (a.k.a. Rainbow Dash) streak across the sky right to Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres was where she belonged. Her parents had only been out that fateful night because they needed to meet their crop harvesting quota in order to feed their family. Even after they’d healed up from the attacks, most likely having already fully become werewolves at that point, AJ remembered they spent quite a few nights working on the fields, past the time when she and her siblings were put to bed, all to keep the family sustained. Their extra production from werewolf-enhanced endurance hadn’t brought in that much extra income, but it had been enough to keep the parentless Apples afloat long enough for other parts of the Apple Family to move in temporarily and prevent the farm from going under, right up until Big Mac and herself could manage the farm without help.

_And speakin’ of ponies who need help…_ thought Applejack, having caught in the corner of her vision the familiar afterimage of a particular pegasus approaching from the right. But then she saw the other afterimage of a pegasus she was familiar with following close behind.

The pegasus in front also had noticed the second one, moving to zig zag as to avoid getting tackled. The second pegasus, however, made no move to close the gap between it and the first one, only changing its flightpath slightly when its target made any significant changes of direction itself. The second pegasus suddenly shot past the first one when the latter turned right towards Applejack, flying in front and making to block what must have been perceived as an attempt to crash right into the grounded Earth pony. However, the now-blocked pegasus simply slowed to a stop in front of Applejack’s guardian, with both ponies proceeding to argue for a short while but became more conversational when the defending pony proved to be more aggressive than the pony who had been flying towards Applejack. Surprisingly, they came to some kind of agreement, whereupon both pegasus ponies resumed flying towards Applejack.

“What was that all about?” asked Applejack, wary of what could be going on considering who she was in the presence of.

“Dust says she needs to talk to you about something,” said Rainbow, evidently still not trusting of her former wingpony, “although I doubt it’s about what she’s owed you for over a year.”

“I know, I know,” hastily replied Lightning Dust, although instead of her normal standoffish nature she currently seemed anxious. Admittedly, the last time she’d been in Ponyville was during something akin to a mid-life crisis, having been tricked by Sable Loam into challenging Applejack to a race she couldn’t possibly have won, and then trying to beat up Applejack only in turn to have been maimed by the enraged werewolf. She’d then spent time recovering in Ponyville General, but the second her wing had healed up to the point she could fly she skipped town in the middle of the night.

“Let me guess, you’re here to challenge me to another race?” mocked Applejack. While the race had revealed Applejack’s secret to Lightning Dust, the pegasus couldn’t blackmail Applejack with the truth since she was no longer a werewolf.

“Please, this is important!” pleaded the aquamarine mare. “Look, I know I was in the wrong for the whole thing with the race and the fighting and all, Celestia knows what I was thinking at the time, and while it’s far overdue and you have absolutely every right to ignore what I say, I honestly, deeply and truly, am sorry for everything.”

Applejack said nothing, studying the out of character hotshot mare in front of her. Admittedly, compared to the complete mess LD had been a year ago, she was looking far better. Her coat, mane, and tail looked well kept, wings weren’t in need of preening, her breath didn’t smell like stale liquor, really the only sign anything was still wrong was the rings under her eyes. While they weren’t nearly as bad as they had been, they still were evidence that she wasn’t sleeping well. However, at the same time the look in LD’s eyes couldn’t mean anything else other than her being completely honest with her apology.

“To be honest, Ah kinda forgot about that whole thing, ‘cause Ah was goin’ through some rough stuff mahself, as you probably found out.”

“Yeah…” Lightning looked away from Applejack, which immediately tipped the Earth pony off there was something more too why Dust was here, something involving Applejack’s lycanthropy.

Rainbow noticed as well. “Hey, if it’s about the fact you explicitly told Iron Will about Applejack being a werewolf after I explicitly told you not to tell anypony, that was a year ago and in the end things only ended as positively as they had _because_ he'd known the truth, so I don’t have any reason to still be mad at you. Even though I did expect you to have at least apologized a long time ago.”

“Yeah…” replied Dust again, “I don’t expect either of you, or anypony else for that matter, to respect my reasons for taking this long, but the truth is that I couldn’t bring myself to talk to any of you face-to-face until now. The whole business back at Wonderbolt Academy? Yes, I was a total pain in the rear and I deserved to get kicked out, but even then I still had more respect for myself in some way or another because my focus was more on making me look better than anypony else. But when I challenged you to a race, Applejack, I ended up wanting to actually hurt somepony, and for nothing more than bragging rights that truly meant nothing to me! I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror after I got out of the hospital, so how would I expect ponies like you two, who I’ve wronged multiple times, to even listen to an apology from a pony who had even less respect for herself then you did?”

Rainbow, much to her surprise as much as Dust’s and Applejack’s, found herself compelled to wrap a wing around the other pegasus. “Well, you look much better than you were before, Dust, and you’ll find no ill will from anypony around here if you truly have turned over a new leaf.” Shockingly, Dust just shook her head sadly and used her own wings to move off Rainbow’s.

“Like I can believe that, too bad karma decided that’s not going to happen for me.”

It was then Applejack remembered Lightning Dust was living in Baltimare. “LD…are you stayin' in a local hotel or somethin’? Baltimare is a mite far to fly in a single day, even just one way, but you don’t have any luggage or anythin’”

“Yeah, now that you mention it…” added Dash, scratching her head with a hoof.

“I’m staying at the Traveler’s Retreat," answered Dust, "money is tight for me right now because Baltimare’s government is having some kind of financial shutdown and, while most of the weather team got furloughed, I was outright replaced by somepony who doesn’t get drunk and pick fights with ‘timberwolves’, if you know what I mean. Since then I’ve been managing a living by working through a temp agency, but I can’t even do that anymore because…well…because of my condition.”

“Condition?” simultaneously asked AJ and RD.

“Here, look at my teeth,” said Lightning, promptly opening her jaw to show her pearly whites. Immediately, Applejack noted the four fang-like incisors, causing her heart to sink in recognition of LD’s ‘condition’.

Rainbow, meanwhile, just turned pale and barely found enough of her voice to say “Y-you’re…”

Dust closed her mouth. “Yeah, can’t say I don’t deserve it, after all I’ve done. And no, I haven’t bitten anypony else, or frankly actually really changed all that much besides what you just saw, which I myself found a week ago. I immediately came to Ponyville since if anypony would be able to tell me if I was becoming what you and that…whoever it was Iron Will paraded around the corpse of… had been, it would be you. Then, yesterday, I somehow found myself at that meat restaurant here in town. With some kind of meat sandwich in front of me.”

“And you not only ate it, but you liked it, even though it was meat,” finished Applejack, shuddering at the resurfacing memory of the day right before she had first turned, “ Ah did the same thing, although the immediate result of that probably was a lot worse in comparison.”

“Like? I _loved it_!” emphasized Lightning Dust, now apparently on the verge of crying, “It was then I knew I was becoming a werewolf like you, since I’d never gone near meat in my life before then.”

Rainbow immediately moved in front of Applejack, once again becoming her bodyguard. “So is that why you’re here? For revenge on Applejack for making you a werewolf?”

Lightning quickly shook her head, “No, nothing of the sort! Honestly, I think it was that other guy, the one who goaded me into that race challenge in the first place, who you guys said was a werewolf. I still don’t remember what happened after that drinking contest since I blacked out at some point, for all I know he could have bitten me then and I’m only now showing the signs.”

She then bolted over to grasp Applejack with her forelegs, knocking Rainbow out of the way. “Please, Applejack, you’ve somehow managed to keep living like a normal pony despite having this curse, you gotta help me!”

“Ah…Ah’m sorry, Dust, but….” Applejack gulped; this wasn’t going to be easy. “Ah’m not a werewolf no more. Haven’t been for about a year now.”

“You…you managed to cure yourself?! How?!”

“Well, Ah, um…had to kill Sable Loam. Apparently the only way to cure yourself of lycan-whatever it is, you gotta kill the werewolf who turned you.”

Lightning said nothing as her deathgrip loosened, letting Applejack go. The look on her face, Rainbow noted, was a more morose version of her expression when she’d been kicked out of the Wonderbolt Training Program.“So…so basically I’m completely and totally bucked?”she whimpered.

“No, you’re not,”Rainbow insisted, as if having an epiphany, “Back when AJ was still a wolf, some of our friends had gone up to the Crystal Empire-“

“What does that have to do with this?” interrupted Lightning.

Rainbow shot Dust a dirty look for having interrupted, “Because King…uh, what was his name…King Sofa was the one who created the werewolf curse, so be quiet and listen. Where was I? Oh, right. Apparently King Salvo had recorded a bunch of research about werewolves in the castle, which our friends found, which mentioned that the dark magic powering the curse is basically able to be transferred into another pony through a deep bite which comes into contact with the victim’s blood. However, pegasus ponies like us have thinner blood since we usually live in thinner parts of the upper atmosphere, so that could be slowing the curse as shown by you only recently showing any of the effects.”

“H-how do you know all that?” asked a slackjawed Applejack.

Lightning raised an eyebrow at the orange pony. “She’s a weather manager, if somepony gets hurt on her watch she needs to know basic medical information like that. Seriously, she may be hardheaded but she’s not stupid.” She then turned back to Rainbow. “But that still doesn’t answer why I’m possibly still not condemned to being a flying wolf monster.”

“No, it doesn’t.” answered Rainbow, “But it means Princess Egghead most likely will know what to do. Follow me!” With that, Rainbow dashed into the air, Lightning not far behind, both pegasus ponies heading in the direction of Golden Oaks.

Applejack watched the two fly off into town, then just sighed while sadly shaking her head. “Nopony deserves to suffer from bein’ a werewolf,” she said to herself, “no matter what they’ve done.”

__

Raspberry Beryl bid farewell to Cashmere and Ascot for the time being, then left through the main door into the night before her. Heliodor was already waiting, using his own magic to become a small beacon of light to guide the way. Traveling by night would be dangerous once the duo were out of Ponyville’s limits, since they were going right into the Everfree as it was the most direct route to their destination. But between Heliodor’s natural weaponry as a bird of prey and Raspberry’s experience in having had to spend many nights in the past alone in dangerous conditions, they were more than up to the task. It was also for the best if nopony was around to stop them and ask just where they were going, since Raspberry wanted to keep her source of gems a secret lest other gem hunters deprive her of the means of her employment, and at night there was nopony except a lone guard or two Raspberry could easily avoid.

With Heliodor now perched like a sentient lamp on the unicorn’s horn, they were like a glowing spirit moving through the silent town. Razz couldn’t help but find it weird how the town could be so full of life during the day, yet at night the town was basically dead save for a few nighttime activities scattered all over the settlement. With her ever-faithful pet lighting up the night, the unicorn couldn’t help but feel like it was an apt reflection of her journey through life. She, a lost light, navigating through a sea of homes that, while on the inside would be cozy and friendly, were barred from anybody on the outside coming in and their dark states unwelcoming. Almost as if in desperation, she quickly turned to look in the direction of the Traveler’s Retreat.

In contrast to the town, the Retreat was lit up, a beacon in its own right that symbolized the thing Raspberry had always been looking for both metaphorically and literally. It was a place where she could go and feel at home, where she would feel _wanted_ by ponies who didn’t care who she was. In fact, she knew it was dangerous for her to have even accepted becoming a more permanent resident of the Retreat, because if the truth ever got out it would destroy what Cashmere and Ascot had spent years building up.

_But it won’t happen,_ mentally swore Raspberry, who in her renewed determination turned away from the warm light and surged forward into the darkness. _I’ve already told Princess Twilight more about the truth than anypony has ever known outside of Lonesome Dove, maybe if I can truly feel like I’ve gained her trust then she will be able to help me finally face the past._  
  
In her thoughts, she almost missed the darting shape of two fillies with what looked like bags. Curious, she moved to follow them while Heliodor, instantly picking up on what his mistress was doing, extinguished his light to hide them among the darkness. After navigating a few twists and turns without the fillies noticing, Raspberry could see they were somehow going around collecting all the cats from around town in their bags.

“Why are they collecting everypony’s cats…or rather _how_ are they luring the cats out?” rhetorically asked Raspberry of her pet. He in turn bent down and made a shrugging motion to indicate he didn’t know either.

Then, suddenly, a ghostly figure emerged through a solid wall right in front of the fillies. The gray one seemed a bit jumpy, as if she wasn’t totally expecting it, while the pink filly with the tiara seemed impatient. But the ghost…Raspberry couldn’t help but slowly back away in fear at the apparition. It was if Applejack had not only become ethereal, but changed her color scheme and cutie mark…and become a werewolf. There was a faint aura of darkness around the ghost, similar to what Raspberry had felt around Apple Bloom, and the implications of which were not good for Raspberry. She quickly turned and fled, Heliodor having already taken flight behind a building as to not be spotted until he was well away from Raspberry as to divert attention from any prying eyes.

“Who was that?” asked Fair Vista, motioning with her head towards where moments ago Raspberry Beryl had been watching them.

Diamond looked in the indicated place, seeing nothing. “Who?”

“Unicorn mare, raspberry colored coat, two tone mane of sky blue and purple.”

Silver Spoon just shook her head. “Oh, that’s Raspberry Beryl, don’t worry about her. She’s always skittish around everypony, chances are she’ll probably just think she was hallucinating this. Nopony would believe she saw a werewolf ghost and the two richest fillies going around kidnapping all the cats in town, especially considering where they’re all going.”

Vista, however, wasn’t so easily dismissive of having been observed. “Why was she out this late?”

Tiara snorted impatiently. “She’s going off to go visit her ‘secret source’ of gems. She’s a gem monger by trade, but instead of big stones she just sells cheap gem shards that most ponies around here use for light decoration on their own crafted goods. Really the only thing interesting about her is that she has a green phoenix for a pet.”

That caught Vista’s attention. “A green phoenix, you say?”

“Yeah, everypony thinks he’s just a fake and whoever sold the bird to Raspberry duped her pretty hard, but nopony has the heart to tell her the truth.”

“Hmm. Well, it is a sort of kindness, in a way, letting her live her ignorance in bliss. As it is, she doesn’t seem to pose any threat to us as you said, Silver, so let’s hurry up with these cats.”

__

At the same time, a visibly shaken Lightning Dust was checking out of the Traveler’s Retreat.

“Ms. Dust, are you quite alright?” asked the worried Cashmere.

“Y-yes, I’m fine, perfectly fine!” unconvincingly answered the pegasus as she moved to try and sign the checkout book with the quill in her shaking hoof. A sky blue one moved and lowered Dust’s forelimb, taking the pen and signing the book instead.

“Everything is going to be fine, Dust,” calmly reassured Rainbow, who currently wore a saddlebag full of Lightning Dust’s worldly possessions. It was depressingly light considering it contained everything Lightning Dust owned.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” interjected Ascot, “but if she’s going to be like that all night, she shouldn’t be out at night. Who knows what might happen.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Ascot. Dust here, she…she’s been diagnosed with a rare disease, super rare. Don’t worry, it’s not contagious, Princess Twilight herself diagnosed it due to it being magical in origin so you have a royal guarantee it’s not contagious. However, the princess also wants Dust to be moved to a more private location, away from the public, so I’m taking her to my cloud house for observation and basic living necessities.”

“Oh, that’s a relief,” commented Cashmere. “I’m sure she’ll be in good hooves with you, Ms. Dash.”

In truth, while technically Lightning Dust _did_ have a magical-based disease that wasn’t contagious in the normal sense, the proprietors of the Retreat did not need to know she was in fact living on limited time as Twilight had told Dust it was still up in the air whether or not she could be cured simply by raw magic intervention. She’d also been told that as it was extremely unlikely she had the same blood mutagen Applejack had, it was almost a guarantee that the unlucky pegasus would eventually devolve into a wild wolf with no memory of her life as a pony. There was still a chance at salvation, with Twilight doing a somewhat poor job of hiding her glee at being able to research a live specimen of pony who was gradually falling victim to a centuries old curse, but Lightning had to remain around Ponyville for observation reasons along with making sure things didn’t go out of hand. Fearing Dust might go feral the same way she’d, ironically, made Applejack lose control during that one brawl and end up maiming more ponies who would become werewolves as well, Rainbow put herself at risk by offering her own spare bedroom.

“Dash…” said Dust, both pegasi having left the hotel and taken wing up to Rainbow’s private estate.

“What, Dust?’ answered Loyalty incarnate.

“Why are you doing this?”

“You mean me letting you crash at my pad?”

“Yeah. And don’t say because it’s to get me out of public view. I know it’s more than that.”

“And you know what it is, too.” Rainbow looked over at Dust, who had started tearing up again, evidently having not expected this much hospitality from Rainbow. “Back at the academy, we were made partners, with you being the leader. We didn’t part ways on good terms, not then and not after your ‘timberwolf’ incident. But anypony can see you’ve tried to improve, with life having dealt you a pretty crappy hand of cards, and since Spitfire made me the leader, I can’t let my wingpony down.”

“B-but I’m not even a wingpony. I’m a-“

“Do _not_ finish that sentence,” ordered Rainbow Dash, swooping over and taking Dust’s face into her own hooves, “and don’t say you don’t deserve a second chance. Everypony does. Even if you are probably going to end up being the same pain in the rear I knew back at the academy.”

For the first time that day, Dust finally found a reason to flash a smile, a mischievous one at that. “Only if you’re the insufferable jerk that I knew at the same time.”

“You’re out of line, cadet!” playfully retorted Rainbow, glad to see Dust finding something to laugh about.

“We’ll see who’s out of line when I prove I’m faster than you!” Dust challenged, taking off before Rainbow could even respond.

“Oh, it’s on now, furball!” shouted Rainbow in acceptance of the challenge, shooting off in chase of her old rival once again.

__

The next morning, Apple Bloom was fast asleep in her room, snoring as usual, but then she smelled something unusual.

“Mrrrr…” she lightly growled in her sleep, “cats…Ah smell…cats…”

Indeed, for whatever reason she was dreaming of there being cats close enough to her that she could smell them. A while ago she didn’t mind one way or another about the creatures, but thanks to her current state of being part supernatural canine she had grown increasingly irate at felines for some reason. The fact the smell was only getting stronger made her angry, to which she bared her teeth that had already partially shifted to become sharper.

Then she woke up from being so angry and opened her eyes, turning anger into total shock. Somehow, her room had suddenly become packed from floor to ceiling with the entire cat populace of Ponyville. And every single one of them immediately realized the yellow, red haired werewolf was trapped in the same room.

Outside the Apple Family homestead, Winona looked up at the windows to Apple Bloom’s room, having been drawn from the extremely loud cacophony of feline meowing and whining, and now trying to use a non-sapient animal form of pantomiming to communicate with Opal, who was trapped in that room and pressed against the window glass. Unfortunately, in trying to move her limbs around, she accidentally released the window latch on the inside, causing the window to burst open from the pressure of pussycats. Winona barely managed to avoid getting caught up in the waterfall of cats pouring out of the upper story window.

**Author's Note:**

I'm betting nobody was expecting THAT plot thread to suddenly become relevant again.


	39. Book2 Ch.14 The Trine of Terror

Rise of the Furball Chapter 14: “The Trine of Terror”

“Apple Bloom…” started Applejack for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Ah’m telling you, Ah don’t know how mah room got full of cats!” answered Apple Bloom.

“Well, somepony knows how, and Ah intend to find out!” declared Applejack bitterly. The previous night hadn’t been one that she could sleep easily through. The sudden appearance of Lightning Dust and the fact she was starting to turn into a werewolf had been on the farm pony’s mind all night, her conscience refusing to let go of the idea that she herself was the reason for Dust’s condition. It had been the only time she’d ever truly lost control of herself during her time as a werewolf, the actual memories of the brief incident only coming back to her slowly. But even well over a year later, the full course of events remained unknown to her and it was entirely possible that she may have bitten Dust during the fighting. As far as Applejack knew, there was no actual way to identify if Dust had been bitten by her or Sable, but she couldn’t be honest to herself without admitting feeling some guilt over the incident’s final outcome, even if it had been mostly Dust’s fault.

So, when she finally had managed to get to an unrestful slumber, with every intention to take a rare day of sleeping in, only to be awakened a few short hours by a loud racket from Apple Bloom’s room, she had been pretty angry. Then she was in shock as the house itself suddenly began to shudder violently at the same time a large pile of cats seemingly poured out of one of Apple Bloom’s windows and in front of the homestead. Right now, all the cat owners of Ponyville had journeyed to Sweet Apple Acres in search of answers to why their felines had been stolen in the middle of the night and for the felines themselves.

“You can count me in on that hunt!” huffed Rarity, appearing from the side of the still twitching pile of cats like a bloated whale. “A lady should not have to be forced to resort to this kind of business to find her cat. Still…don’t worry, Opal, momma’s coming!” She then promptly dived back into the giant furball of furballs in search of her cat.

“I still don’t get how somepony managed to get all those cats in the house!” Babs commented, walking up to join her cousins.

“Eeyup” replied Big Mac, passing the trio with a cart. The giant pile of cats in front of the Apple homestead was making entering and leaving the house through the front door very awkward, so it was decided to load them into some apple carts and truck them down to Ponyville, both to reduce the pile’s size and to speed up returning the pets to their owners. It was the trouble with the whole cat pile that had Apple Bloom and Babs Seed stay at the farm to help clean up the mess, while all the other fillies in town went to school regularly. However, it was a free day off neither filly wanted, and while Apple Bloom was still fighting the urge to wolf-out and go chase all the cats, she still had enough self-control to suppress the inclination. Or so she thought.

“Hey, Apple Bloom, you okay?” asked Babs worriedly as the two fillies loaded cat after cat individually onto the cart. “Your eyes are goin’ back and forth kinda all shifty like, as if you’re on edge about somethin’.”

“Ah, uh, Ah’m fine,” replied Apple Bloom.

“You sure?”

“Babs, Ah woke up to find mah room was packed full of cats and nopony knows how. Of course Ah’m on edge. Especially ‘cause…well, that’s not important, but all you need to know is that Ah’m perfectly A-OK.”

Especially ‘cause…what? Thought Babs, eying AB suspiciously as she loaded more cats into the cart. She didn’t notice her hooves reaching for a conspicuously un-catlike curly tail, which she proceeded to tug on.

“YE-OOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!” wailed a distinctly faked accent as Rarity’s head burst from the ground, one eye twitching in pain.

“This is gonna be a long day…” moaned Apple Bloom, facehoofing while Rarity turned angrily to face the embarrassed Babs.

Within her private chambers, Celestia worriedly paged through several different records that few ponies other than the princesses knew existed. Discord’s words from a few days ago about that phoenix being some kind of prophesied harbinger of bad tidings still echoed in her head, louder than ever when she’d received two letters from the two princesses based away from the capital.

The letter from Cadance had been concerning enough. The idea that there was a pony just as powerful in dark magic as Sombra boggled Celestia’s mind. While in theory any unicorn could use dark magic, the rate at which dark magic burned through a pony’s magic well was so high that only unusually powerful magic users could effectively maintain dark magic over any considerable length of time. Then, in regards to dark magic being highly uncontrollable by its very nature, the pony would need to have great ability in controlling magic either through skill and/or talent to actually direct a dark magic spell to do what was desired by the caster.

Unicorns who possessed both the magic well capacity and the potential for mastering extremely high level spells were secretly registered by crown officials and kept under surveillance. Celestia’s own school, while actually mainly created to help train young unicorns with their powers such that should the time come they can help defend Equestria, served as a means of watching over the children of unusual ability and to ensure they didn’t even try to go down the path of darkness. All unicorns who were of school age were required by law to be evaluated by a local mage when they showed any kind of sufficient control over their magic, with any candidate who came within a set range of the estimated minimum magic power needed to have any dark magic ability automatically getting a scholarship from the princess herself to the school…and their name on the registry. In addition, all records of pony births were required to be submitted by all towns to Canterlot for archival record keeping.

Which is why Twilight’s latest letter just made Celestia even more concerned. Apparently, Raspberry Beryl came from a town called Lonesome Dove, but due to an abusive father she’d received horn damage and had trouble casting even basic telekinesis. Logically, Twilight summarized in her letter that while she’d felt Beryl’s aura as being different from the usual, it was not dark magic. If everything was alright, there was nothing out of the ordinary with what Twilight had said, even though it saddened Celestia to hear of a father abusing his foal.

But then she reread the letter and noted Twilight had been told by Beryl the town of Lonesome Dove was a pure earth pony settlement right up until Raspberry was born. A pony settlement made up of entirely one subspecies of pony was not unheard of, since only pegasus ponies could live in cloud cities for obvious reasons, but even so it was odd that a unicorn was born to two earth ponies without any further explanation given by Beryl.

It became even stranger when the records for Lonesome Dove weren’t all that consistent. Sure enough, on the list of newborns there was a “Raspberry Beryl” listed, but due to the town not having unicorns, there should have been a request sent for an evaluator to travel to Lonesome Dove when Raspberry had become old enough to attend school. Except there was no record of such a request ever having been made by Lonesome Dove, or of a royal evaluator having gone to the town anyway.

There was suddenly a knock at the door. “Come in,” said Celestia, not looking to see who it was as she already knew the identity of the new arrival.

“Celly, I thought I was supposed to be the book-loving recluse and you the public face of the monarchy?” asked Luna, walking up to her sister’s side, “and the one who is supposed to be overseeing court right now?”

“I canceled court for today. That one pony, what’s his name…Count Custard or something, was probably going to try to talk out in favor for a two percent reduction of the taxes the wealthy must pay, and I really just cannot deal with the stupidity.”

“Celly, you’ve dealt with idiots like that for centuries on your own, surely-“

“I didn’t deal with them at the same time a potential national crisis was potentially forming up.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? We aren’t anything close to hostile with any of our neighboring countries. I mean, even the griffons don’t want to wage war against us right now, and you know how much they would love to get their hands on the mining colonies near the shared border.”

Celestia leaned back on her haunches, closing her eyes and putting her hooves on her temples. “Remember what I told you about what Discord was doing that whole day he was out of Canterlot?”

“Wasn’t mother involved with that somehow?”

“Yes, that one. As far as anypony knows, Discord has an interest in that green phoenix who currently accompanies a unicorn mare named ‘Raspberry Beryl’. Her story, as relayed from Twilight, checks out up until there is apparently a grave violation of a royal edict.” Celestia continued to relay her findings to her younger, darker sister, along with letting her see Twilight’s letter where the story of Raspberry Beryl had been recorded.

“So…you’re saying something’s wrong here, because nopony associated with the crown ever went to evaluate this ‘Raspberry Beryl’ when she was of age?” asked Luna, glancing above the top of the letter which she held in her hooves.

“Correct. You know why, what with me having to explain the reason half a zillion times back when you first returned and your own experience with the consequences of not having that policy.”

Luna briefly shuddered. Even as a filly, Luna was the second most powerful magic user in the country, possibly world, but unlike Celestia she hadn’t put in as much time or effort to master her magic controlling skills. Then she tried overthrowing Celestia with dark magic, only the dark magic put her under its own control, resulting in the monster named Nightmare Moon.

“This is a mistake that could have been costly for Equestria; a unicorn whose only record of existence buried in the one place nopony would have thought to look. If this had been an intentional plan, it’s actually quite brilliant, really, the diamond hidden among the…um, just insert a word that works in reference to earth ponies that doesn’t make me sound like one of those upper class snobs.” Celestia couldn’t help but sheepishly grin at having tripped over her own words.

Luna smirked back in response, but quickly resumed a nonchalant expression as she reread part of the letter. “Celly, did you ever consider that maybe it was intentionally overlooked to have somepony come out to evaluate this unicorn?”

Celestia whipped her head around to face her sister for the first time in the conversation. “Are you suggesting somepony denied the will of the crown?”

Luna looked incredulously at Celestia in return. “Did..did you just say what I think you just said?”

Celestia rolled her eyes and nickered in annoyance. “Yes, I did, and no, Lu-Lu, I’m not suddenly turning into some egotistical tyrant bitch like some of my enemies want everypony to believe. But for somepony or someponies to undermine authority like this, which goes from the local town government all the way to us, that could be a problem. Yes, practically all the ponies in Equestria love their alicorn rulers, practically throwing themselves at us to bestow their worship. But we are not omnipresent, we’re merely ponies who are gifted with powers well beyond-“

She was silenced by Luna’s gentle hoof being placed on her muzzle, the night princess bearing a smile on her own muzzle. “Celly, we already fought the Civil War centuries ago, and the only time we’ve ever had to exert more authority than a look of displeasure was when you briefly fought Chrysalis.”

“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” groaned Celestia. Getting her plot handed to her by the queen of the changelings at the wedding, along with having been fooled about the fact her niece had been replaced by Chrysalis for about a week, was the most humiliating event she’d been subject to for the past fifty years, even accounting for the fact Chrysalis had been supercharged by Shining's love.

Luna smiled. “I foolishly tried to overthrow you, got turned into a monster, plunged our country into civil war, and then tried to do it again after my thousand years on the moon. You also give me no end of trouble because my duties include visiting ponies in their dreams. Allow me this one thing to hold over your head as you have so many over mine.

But that’s getting off track. The truth is, if this story is to believed, Raspberry’s father didn’t want her learning magic. Why would somepony like that want his child evaluated for her magic ability when he wanted her to have none?”

“You bring up a good point, Lu-Lu” agreed Celestia. “But we will need to send somepony to investigate Lonesome Dove. Undermining royal authority simply because of one’s position on how to raise a foal is something that cannot go unanswered.”

“I hope you don’t stick him on my moon,” requested Luna, jokingly, “I like my moon the way it is right now.”

“With the several life size plush dolls of Big Mac I put up there?”

“Yes, with the-wait, what?!”

That night, DT and SS secretly met up out the schoolhouse, the later having no idea what the former had in her packs.

“Hmm, so it would appear the ‘room full of cats’ idea didn’t quite work,” Said Fair Vista, emerging from behind the schoolhouse. The moonlight illuminated her form such that she appeared to be a tinted glass sculpture. One that could kill you with its claws or teeth.

“I’ll admit, after all the stress and trouble we went through to get all those cats in there, the fact nothing actually happened is disappointing,” Silver confessed.

“We shoulda thrown her stupid dog in there, too,” commented Diamond. “That would have riled them up!”

Vista shot DT a nasty look. “And completely undermined the whole point of stealing every cat in town. I know I’d have torn apart every last cat if I’d been in that filly’s place, as accustomed as I am to the non-pony urges that come with being a werewolf I do enjoy being violent to felines.”

The pink filly rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. You’re a dog. We’re not.”

“So…what now?” asked Silver, reluctantly. She still had some bandages from the previous night, which had her get scratched by a few angry cats in trying to capture them. Thankfully, her parents had bought the excuse she’d been helping clean up the cats at Sweet Apple Acres, but she wasn’t too keen on trying that stunt again.

“This time, we’re going to try one of my ideas,” Tiara said confidently, putting her saddle bags down and opening them to reveal they were full of all kinds of vials. Silver and Vista quickly glanced at each other to make sure they weren’t the only one who didn’t know what the point of this was, then back at Tiara who opened up one of the vials. Instantly the smell of raw garlic poured out. “I did a little more research and I found out that werewolves actually hate garlic!”

“Uh…” started Fair Vista, her knowledge base on what werewolves like and don’t like being impossible to doubt, but then she thought better of it and then did her best to keep a straight face while the raw stench of garlic assaulted her undead senses. “I actually can’t tell you, when I was alive Sable and I didn’t really bother with spices and things for our meals, the raw taste was enough for us.”

“That’s…pleasant...” grimaced Silver, clearly trying not to go green in the face from the overwhelming smell and the sudden R-rated film playing in her head, “Tiara…where did you get all this?”

“Oh, you know…the local aromatherapist,” cheerfully replied the wealthy brat.

EARLIER THAT DAY…

“WHO THE BUCK STOLE ALL MY GARLIC SCENT OILS?!” screamed Sandalwood, her voice echoing from inside the spa to cover about a fourth of Ponyville.

“The wealthiest filly in the town and you still steal what you need?” laughed Vista. “My, you are more like me than I gave you credit for. Still, what do you plan to do with all this garlic?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Tiara. “We’ll drown the schoolhouse in this stuff, make it unbearable for Apple Bloom to set hoof in it!”

Vista looked like she was going to say more, but then snapped her neck towards the forest as if she’d heard something. “My attention is currently needed elsewhere, but I’ll check in with you two again tomorrow night.” Without another word the ghost werewolf shot off into the night. She made sure she was at least a good kilometer away before she dared stop running and start laughing.

“AHAHAHAHAHA! Garlic! Oh, Sable, what morons that twit and her friend are if they think garlic has any effect on werewolves! AHAHAHA! I have got to be there when this backfires!

“That was one of the shortest days of school I’ve ever had,” said Scootaloo, the four crusaders hiking back to Sweet Apple Acres for lunch.

“Yeah, do you think it was the garlic smell?” suggested Sweetie.

“Ah’m sure it was the smell. Seriously, it wasn’t botherin’ any of y’all as much as me?” asked Apple Bloom.

“I could tell it was the most powerful garlic smell I’ve ever encountered, which is sayin’ a lot since I know what Manehatten pizza has heavy applications of!” commented Babs. “Poor Ms. Cheerilee, I don’t think she is familiar with the power of garlic aroma. Those spasms she went into the moment she came into the schoolhouse? Definitely somepony who has a natural distaste of garlic.”

Indeed, while all the fillies and colts who were students at the schoolhouse had reacted poorly to the sudden presence of garlic, the teacher seemed to have a considerably serious allergic reaction. Acting quickly, the students hurriedly dragged their schoolmarm back into the ungarlicy open air of the outside and Scootaloo shot off on her scooter to get medical attention. School was determined canceled for the rest of the day by order of Dr. Stable

“Like…maybe she’s a vampire?” Sweetie was dead serious about the question. “Everypony knows vampires don’t like garlic!”

“Vampires don’t exist, Sweetie,” answered Scootaloo. “Rainbow Dash says so.”

“What about werewolves? Does Rainbow think they exist?” Babs had intentionally been quick about the question, paying more attention to Apple Bloom’s sudden flinching instead of Scootaloo confirming Dash did think werewolves existed.

“Well, whatever the reason,” interjected Apple Bloom, hoping to steer the conversation away from werewolves, “Ah doubt we’ll be havin’ any more school until that garlic scent can be removed, for Ms. Cheerilee’s sake. And you know what that means for the Crusaders?”

“CUTIE MARK SEARCHING!” replied Sweetie, Scoot, and Babs in unison.

At the same time in Castle Canterlot, Discord was busy catching up with his quota of hallway paintings turned exactly 3.14 degrees clockwise when he suddenly had a peculiar feeling.

“Oh! My Chaos Sense is tingling!” squeed Discord, rushing off to go find a mirror with which he could use to remotely watch the events unfold. It wasn’t the same as actually being at the scene, but seeing as how he couldn’t just leave the castle again without Celestia’s permission and there was no way she’d let him go for something this small, it was good enough for now.

“Ow…ow…ow…”

“Sorry, but I have to be sure there are real fangs, Dust.”

It wasn’t commonly known that Golden Oaks library actually had a basement. It was even less commonly known that Twilight had turned it into her own personal laboratory during the three years she was a resident there. Right now, Dust was wishing she hadn’t learned of what lay beneath as she really felt uncomfortable. Well, okay, she was already uncomfortable on a daily basis since she still felt guilty of Rainbow having to be saddled with opening her home to the same pony who nearly killed her friends. Slowly becoming a werewolf also was very uncomfortable. But here? It was like she was a lab rat with a mad scientist alicorn ready to rip into her at any second.

“Dust, are you okay?” asked Twilight, putting down the sterile stick she’d been using to tap against the pegasus’s fangs.

“Yeah, I’m perfectly fine. Y’know, besides the whole holy-shit-I-am-turning-into-a-monster part.”

“I mean, with all this, I’m getting the impression you’re not exactly comfortable with being in my old lab.”

Gee, no shit princess, thought Lighting Dust, the last time I was here in this town I spent a month in a hospital practically tied to a bed because I was stupid enough to fight a werewolf, and now here I am turning into a werewolf while you’re probably going to start experimenting on me soon.

The words that came out of her mouth, though, were different. “To be perfectly honest, if that pink friend of yours-“

“Pinkie Pie?”

“Uh, yeah, her. You know what I would be if she came in here, dressed in some macabre outfit made of cutie marks carved off of other ponies, with an unclean bloody knife, and raving about how she’s gonna turn me into a cupcake? I would be totally unsurprised. That sums up my feelings about being here right now.”

“I…see…” was all Twilight could answer back with. Awkward silence followed for a few minutes until Lightning broke it.

“I know I’m probably going to regret asking this, but…I gotta know; how much longer do I have?”

“Well…” said Twilight, stumbling with her words in trying to determine the best way to explain what she knew, “this is pure conjecture, so I’m not a hundred percent sure, but it’s possible you have well over a year before you actually experience turning into a full werewolf for the first time, and then after that I honestly can’t tell you the time-frame between then and when your mental state…”

“Hold on, what are you saying?” inquired Dust, now having taken much more interest in the discussion, “There are two stages to this lycanthropy thing? As in a step before I end up not having a clue of who I am and running around like some freak canine with wings?”

“Um…yes?” replied Twilight, as if confused by the question. “Werewolves have the ability to go from pony to some kind of pony-wolf hybrid form, the problem you have is that once you actually become a full blooded werewolf, the curse will slowly-

“Yeah, the dumbing-down thing, that’s what I was afraid of. But since you keep saying I haven’t undergone some kind of ‘transformation’ it sounds like I have a lot more to expect?”

Twilight levitated over a pad of notes. “Back when Applejack was a werewolf, she told me a lot about the process of becoming one. Namely, there was a lead-up of minor, physical changes she remembered experiencing. Much like the ones you’ve demonstrated, only…”

“She took longer to develop them.”

“A month, give or take a week, after Sable Loam attacked her. She wasn’t sure when the first full transformation was, only that it felt ‘like her whole body was on fire and itchy at the same time’ or something to that nature.”

“Well, can’t say I’ve had anything like that, as I told practically everypony in your little circle of friends the only changes are my teeth and the need to eat meat.”

“Oh, actually…” Twilight’s eyes brightened up at the mention of meat, “…could you describe what your hunger is like for meat?

Lightning could only roll her eyes and sigh, absent mindedly scratching some random itch on her back with a hindleg. This constant questioning by the princess…I’m sure that burning sensation of that first transformation probably is more pleasant than this…

The next day…

“Ah, yes, it was vampires who don’t like garlic!” laughed Fair Vista, who was uncharacteristically present in Ponyville during the daytime. She was barely visible, nothing more than a faint outline in the light of the sun.

“Okay, okay, I get your point!” angrily replied Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon didn’t say anything, although she noted DT had been referring to only herself even though she seemed to mean both her and Silver. “You made it last night, anyway, so why did you want us to come up here?”

“Simple” nonchalantly replied the spirit, who gestured towards the giant water tower nearby that had been constructed in place of the old water tower which Twilight had sacrificed to calm a rampaging ursa minor. “We - and by that I mean you two – will flood her out into the open.”

The rich fillies gaped, only Silver finding the words. “You want us to flood the town?!”

Vista shrugged. “You’d need much, much more water than what’s in that tower, but if you bust the valve when Apple Bloom is within the scope of the flood, she’ll be trapped within the flow as she can’t cross running water.”

“Wait, are you sure about that?” incredulously asked Diamond Tiara, “Because if you were running around for centuries in the woods, you had to have had to cross a running stream or a brook or something that was running water before you died.”

“I don’t know what it is, but Sable never wanted to take a chance. So we merely lept over anything. We werewolves are great jumpers, you know.”

“And what’s to stop Apple Bloom from doing the same?”

“She’s still a youngling, she can’t jump nearly as far as I could when I was alive. Plus, she won’t dare transform into her new proper form in public, so it’s a non-issue.”

“Well…alright, then, let’s go wait for the Cutie Mark Losers.”

Silver was aghast. “Wait, you actually think flooding part of Ponyville is a good idea?!”

Diamond raised an eyebrow at her PFF. “Yeah, it’s not like anypony is going to get hurt, it’s just water. Except of course Apple Bloom. You don’t have to come help, though, it’s perfectly alright if you’re a chicken who can’t live up to her family history.” DT just cackled as she trotted off with the faint outline of the ghost werewolf, leaving Silver behind.

“N-now hold on just a second!” retorted Silver, rushing to join the duo. Her heart really wasn’t in it, though, that much she could not deny. This is wrong she thought, I know DT wanted to expose Apple Bloom, but hanging around this ghost…I have to wonder who the real danger is…


	40. Book2 Ch.15 The Humbling River

Rise of the Furball Chapter 15: "The Humbling River"

 

“This feels really weird!” said Babs.

“I agree, anypony else feeling really uncomfortable?” added Scootaloo.

“How can this feel so…so…wrong? You getting the same impression, Apple Bloom?” asked Sweetie.

“Eeyup,” agreed Apple Bloom.

The four crusaders were currently seated in front of the malt shop in central Ponyville. With both the schoolhouse being disinfected for any last trace of garlic smells and Cheerilee in the hospital for at least the rest of the week (she’d suffered a heart attack that had somehow been triggered by the excessive garlic smell, nopony knew why yet), the schoolfoals and fillies were allowed to roam free across the town.

For the Crusaders, they immediately went to their second favorite treat shop and proceeded to get bored out of their minds with nothing to do. The concept of not having to spend the morning in a one-room educational facility on a weekday that wasn’t a holiday was a foreign concept to them.

“ARRRGGHH!” groaned Sweetie. “I’m so bored! Surely there’s something we can do to try and get our cutie marks with these days off from school!”

“Hey!” piped up Babs, “Why don’t we try bein’ Cutie Mark Crusaders Bagel Bake-“

“NO!” shouted the other three fillies in unison. The sudden shock of being cut off caused Babs to reel back in shock, sending her off her stool.

“I guess you three already tried that and it didn’t work?” the brown filly replied as she got herself back up on her seat.

“Like you wouldn’t believe” answered Scootaloo, implying that it was best that the matter stop being discussed.

Babs took a sip from her milkshake, already putting the next topic of discussion to mind. “Well, on the subject of things I can’t believe, I’m still surprised Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon still have it out for you girls.” She was answered with collective groan.

“You think those two were ever gonna change?” dryly replied Apple Bloom, drinking her own milkshake.

“Well, the whole werewolf thing, y’know?”

The yellow cousin put her milkshake’s tumbler back on the table with a little too much force. “Babs, Ah swear if you’re startin’ up with that nonsense again…”

Babs leaned back and quickly waved her hooves as if trying to ward something off. “No! No no no no! It’s not my stance on the werewolf thing, it’s hers. I mean, why does she think you’re a werewolf? Diamond is the poster child of bein' a rich brat, I should know since it’s what my parents kept tryin' to mold me into, but she wouldn’t spend any more time around you than absolutely necessary.”

Scootaloo couldn’t help but chuckle. “Alright, who wants to explain that one?”

Sweetie Belle shrugged, “I’ll do it.” She then looked at Babs with a look in her eyes that just screamed this is going to be a doozy.

Babs gulped, “This is gonna suck, isn’t it?”

“Well, in terms of stupidity; yes. The whole reason Diamond Tiara has some vendetta against Apple Bloom with the whole ‘she’s a werewolf’ thing is that a good while back, she had a nightmare where she claimed there was a monster at her window.”

“And that monster just happened to look like a werewolf version of Apple Bloom?”

Sweetie nodded as she partook in her milkshake. “Scared her for a few days to the point she couldn’t come to school and the first day she did come back it was like she was a frightened puppy.”

“Yeah, then she got some idea about going after Apple Bloom because she actually ‘was’ a werewolf and everything became as it was when you arrived,” nickered Scootaloo, who would have drank some of her own milkshake had she already not finished it.

“You think Diamond and Silver might be behind what’s been goin’ on, lately?” suggested Babs, sipping up the last of her shake.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Impossible. Ah don’t see how they coulda gotten every cat in ponyville into mah room without wakin’ somepony up. The garlic thing, too, for that matter.”

“But who else would even want to do stuff like that?”

None of the crusaders could give Babs a straight answer, so eventually their discussion turned to other minor topics, which continued as the last of the milkshakes were finished and the quartet got up and began making their way to Sweet Apple Acres.

“Hey…” started Babs, “that’s a pretty big water tower. I don’t remember it bein’ there last time I was here.”

“Yeah, they just put it up,” answered Scoot. “Twilight ended up destroying the old one a few years back to stop an ursa, so they made a new one that holds even more water to accommodate the fact Ponyville has been growing over the years.”

“Huh.” Babs looked up at the giant, silver tank suspended in the air. It was built a fair distance away from the town, but when seen from the main road it looked like it was among the other cottages and buildings in that direction. The Manehatten native had to admit; the ponies over there sure were brave in dealing with the leaking water tower.

Wait. Leaking water tower?

Babs was going to ask if that was normal, but she was suddenly shoved to the side by Scootaloo. Apple Bloom did the same with Sweetie, one half of the Crusaders reacting faster than the others.

“We gotta get to high ground!” shouted Scootaloo, the first to have realized just where all that water was going. Luckily, a nearby shopkeep had heard her and, upon realizing what was going on, beckoned the Crusaders into the shop. He managed to get the door barred off right as the runaway water surged into town along the main roads.

“Thanks, Mr. Crunch!” the three Ponyville-native Crusaders said in unison. Babs, however, was trying to figure out how the water outside wasn’t getting into the building. Scoot noted her state.

“Ponyville is situated at a low point in the river. All the houses are magically charmed so they’re flood-proof.” Babs was going to make a point about why Scootaloo could possibly have known that, but then remembered her parents were weather ponies so she probably just picked it up from them.

Toffee Crunch, however, was more concerned with how the disaster outside had come to be. “Any of you see what happened?”

“Yeah!” squeaked Sweetie. “The water tower burst while we were looking at it!”

Any further discussion was silenced as everypony suddenly heard a very loud but unidentifiable noise. Toffee, however, feared the worst. “Oh dear, I hope that wasn’t the water tower’s hole breaking even further from the pressure.”

“Can we go to the roof and check?” asked Apple Bloom.

“I don’t see why not.” Shrugged Toffee.

And so the four fillies and one stallion headed to the roof. From their vantage point, they could see that the middle of Ponyville had become a giant series of rapids. The wreckage of several vendor carts could be seen floating down, the water tower itself now unquestionably having started leaking from over pressurization as half of the visible face was now releasing the unusual river into the town. Thankfully, there wasn’t anypony caught in the flow, they’d all made it to safety in time.

Then Apple Bloom caught sight of Silver Spoon’s glasses coming down the stream, sans Silver Spoon. One of the lenses was cracked, but it was a moot point as the accessory was promptly smashed into a lamppost, reducing it to useless scrap and shards of glass.

What the… was all she could say in her head before noticing Silver Spoon herself coming down. She was flailing around, clearly having trouble keeping herself even afloat without her glasses.

“Oh, no!” lamented Toffee, “that poor filly!”

Apple Bloom said nothing, instead tensing to jump. Scoot and Sweetie instantly noticed.

“Don’t do it, Apple Bloom!” said Sweetie.

“Don’t be a fool with your life!” cautioned Scootaloo.

But it was all for naught.

“AH’M A-COMIN’ FOR YA, SILVER!” screamed the Apple as she leapt into the river going through town.

“Wha-?! Is she crazy?!” exclaimed Toffee.

“No, she’s my cousin.” Replied Babs, who could do nothing but watch as Apple Bloom was swiftly carried downstream. However, in the filly’s attempts to get control of her direction, the water spun her such that Babs got a momentary clear sight of her profile. A sight that sent chills down her spine and confirmed her worst fears.

Silver had never before been so scared in her life. Even though she’d been in far riskier situations, never before had she actually been in a situation where she was actually going to die. The raging water flow carted her rapidly through the streets of ponyville, the concepts of what was up and down lost as she tumbled through the semi-transparent fluid.

“HEEEEEELLLLLPPPPPPP!” she wailed, wasting a precious chance to get air as she barely had any notice when her head would break above the surface. Her glasses had been washed away when she’d been caught in the secondary burst from the water tank, but even if she’d had them they weren’t meant to be used when submerged in water as they weren’t swimming goggles. Silver wished she had some goggles on her, as trying to open her eyes usually just hurt because of the water. Mercifully, she managed to grab onto a streetlamp with a hoof and held her grip long enough to get her other foreleg around to anchor herself. It was hard, as the water still kept gushing forward, but it gave her a chance to catch her breath and open her eyes.

“Silver Spoon! Hold on! Ah’m comin’ for ya!”

She wished she hadn’t. Smack dab in the middle of the sudden river in Ponyville central was Apple Bloom. Why she was in the rushing water coming straight at her, Silver couldn’t tell and her poor eyesight being worthless at a range beyond how far she could stretch her hooves wasn’t helping. However, when Apple Bloom was close enough, Silver realized with horror that the strange black dot on Apple Bloom’s muzzle was actually a dog nose. It was true, she actually was a werewolf! And no doubt she was taking the chance to deal with one of her tormentors once and for all!

“No! S-stay away! Don’t get-AAAAAHHH!” hollered back the distraught gray filly, her tears which betrayed the fear she was feeling lost in the raging waters. But her momentary change of focus caused her grip on the lamppost to fail and she was sent careening off back down the road. She was sure she was going to die now, either from drowning as most of her energy had been burned up trying to fight the current, or from Apple Bloom tearing out her throat. She didn’t care which one actually scared her more, either way her life was going to end and she really didn’t want it to.

She had already begun to start blacking out, choking on the water she was taking in as opposed to oxygen as her lungs became desperate, when she felt the spine-tingling touch of what felt like canine paws on her person.

Oh no, this is it!” thought Silver, tensing up in preparation for the end.

Only…the end didn’t come. She heard Apple Bloom say things, her accent much more husky than usual, but aside from the unusual feeling of oversized dog paws and the other filly’s longer coat of fur, there wasn’t a point where Silver felt the powerful jaws of her captor close around her neck. Instead, she was…keeping her afloat?

“BREATHE!” screamed Apple Bloom. Silver, finding her head staying up above the water now that she had help, obeyed and was gradually starting to relax…or would have if it wasn’t for the fact Apple Bloom was still a werewolf. The poor-sighted filly could only imagine the horrible reasons why the werewolf would want to keep her alive, but was interrupted by Apple Bloom following up her early exclamation with “BRACE FOR IMPACT!”

The force from the thud was felt by both fillies, Apple Bloom having positioned herself to take the brunt of the blow but due to being very physically fit thanks to both lycanthropy and her usual farm chores, neither filly was seriously hurt. Now, they both had their backs to a building wall in an alley just off the main road, held fast by the flow of water. However, the water was finally beginning to recede, causing the two fillies to slowly slide down until their hooves were on solid (if rather muddy) ground.

“Ya alright, Silver?” asked Apple Bloom. The addressed turned to the werewolf, finding she’d already shifted back to her regular form. After all she’d been told about Apple Bloom’s mannerisms while a werewolf, the formerly bespectacled pony had trouble comprehending or voicing this change in reality.

“Y-yes, but I d-don’t…aren’t you gonna…” was all she could get out.

“Is it because you’re such a pain in the plot along with Diamond Tiara to me and mah friends, ya can’t understand why Ah saved ya?” The youngest Apple just shook her head…then shook herself dry like a dog. “Ah can’t stand either of you two normally, but not enough to simply stand by and let you drown all ‘cause you’re normally a complete jerk to the Crusaders.”

“But…but…what about the…” Silver then leaned in on wobbly legs, still recovering from a brush near death, “the whole werewolf thing?”

Apple Bloom just nickered in annoyance. “For the last time, Ah am not a werewolf! Ah shoulda known Diamond was still on about that nonsense, but even if Ah was a werewolf, do you think Ah would have bothered to save you?”

Silver Spoon didn’t immediately reply. Instead, she took a deep breath and focused her eyes on Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom was denying it, but Silver knew the pony before her was a werewolf. One that had just risked exposing her secret, the exact action the whole “busting the water tower” plan had intended to force out of her, to saving the life of a pony she by all rights probably wouldn’t have minded letting die. Silver knew Apple Bloom had gone ‘wolf form’ in the water, she knew she’d felt that padded paw holding her close to the werewolf’s body, but Apple Bloom hadn’t killed her. The nearsighted pony took another deep breath before looking Apple Bloom right in the eyes when she gave her answer:

“Yes.”

Apple Bloom only smiled, it was all she had time for as the crowd of ponies approaching would allow. Silver, on the other hand, suddenly felt the exhaustion of her near-death experience come rushing back as the adrenaline quickly wore off, and could do nothing to stop herself from passing out on the spot.

Raspberry Beryl and Heliodor did not expect to find Ponyville in worse shape than it had been when they’d left it.

“The main thoroughfare…it’s all muddy now…” whispered Beryl in near-shock as she surveyed the damage. Apparently, several hours before she’d returned from her journey into the woods for more gems, the water tower had succumbed to the pressure of water inside it and had burst, flooding the town. While the standard anti-flooding protective spells on the homes had ensured the worst kind of damage; ruined homes and shops that would displace a large portion of the town’s populace, had not happened, many street vendors would need to acquire new carts for their wares. For those who could even salvage what was left of their property, the sheer amount of water had turned the middle of Ponyville into a virtual swamp.

“Caio, Ms. Rasperry!” called out a familiar voice that Raspberry immediately identified as that of Pear Blossom. Turning to face the voice, Raspberry was horrified to see the fruit vendor’s cart had been smashed into a lamppost like so many other things caught in the flooding. Not a single pear had survived intact, the cart itself not looking much better.

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry, Blossom, all that revenue you could have gotten…all washed away with nothing but a broken cart to show for it.”

To the unicorn’s surprise, the pear seller was still rather upbeat. “Ah, you do not need to feel sorry for me, I am still in one piece and that is really all I can ask for. While it is true that I have lost some income, I still have many pears back at my pear farm that were untouched by this event and as for my cart, I can still take it back and salvage what I can.”

“But everything above the wheelbase is gone“

“Again, it is no big deal. Mi caro, Knotwood, is a carpenter, so I don’t think he’ll charge his wife for the money that keeps more than pears on his dinner plate!” Blossom gave sly wink to the younger mare.

“Wow, that’s really fortunate!” said a relieved Raspberry, “I’d hate to lose the ability to buy your pears, nopony grows them to taste quite like yours!”

“Grazie, although it is not me who is the most fortunate. Apparently, one young filly got caught up in the water and would have drowned had it not been for Apple Bloom bravely helping her stay afloat.”

“Really? That’s incredible!” The mention of Apple Bloom suddenly reminded the unicorn of the biggest reason she’d been so hasty to return to Ponyville, if only indirectly by association to Sweetie Belle. “Hey, listen, I’d love to help you get this back home, but I need to make some deliveries on the other side of town.”

“Then by all means, go and earn your living! I should be back in a few days to sell you all the pears you could ever eat! Cioa, bella!”

The two laughed and bid their farewells before Raspberry went off towards Rarity’s house.

“Guess we won’t be having pears tonight, Heelee,” Raspberry apologized to her pet.

He grumbled, as he had been looking forward to having pears.

“Hey, maybe Ascot and Cashmere have some pears back at the Traveler’s Retreat?”

He cawed happily, looking forward to having pears.

“Rarityyyyyyy…” whined Sweetie Belle, “you told me my costume would be ready! Nightmare Night is next week!”

Rarity sighed for what felt like the fifth time in the last 30 seconds. “Exactly. Nightmare Night is in a week so I think I have a right to point out the deadline isn’t here yet.” Suddenly, somepony knocked on the door. “Coming!”

Rarity found just the pony she’d been hoping for on the other side.

“I hope this isn’t a bad time,” said Raspberry. “I can come back later if need be.”

“Oh, nonononono!” squealed Rarity, practically dragging the hapless mare into the boutique. “I can always make time for you, darling! Especially when you can help me deal with a problem that requires your services.”

“My…my what?”

Rarity motioned with her head to Sweetie Belle, whose attention was drawn elsewhere and hadn’t noticed the unicorn and her phoenix come in.

“Ah, okay!” said a relieved Raspberry, getting the point. She removed her saddlebags and reached into them with a hoof, pulling out the same crown frame Rarity had given her not too long ago. The difference this time, however, was that the formerly empty mounting point at the center now was occupied by a stunningly beautiful diamond. Almost a pale icy blue, the perfectly cut gem shined in the light and was certainly something that looked like it belonged to a real princess as opposed to a fake one.

“It’s…it’s perfect!” exclaimed Rarity, prompting Sweetie Belle to investigate what was going on.

“Oh, I didn’t know Ms. Beryl and her pet were…wow! Is that my crown?” Rarity nodded, levitating the crown from Raspberry’s hoof and placing it on Sweetie’s head. It was a perfect fit.

“And now you see why your costume wasn’t ready,” giggled Rarity, before giving her attention back to Raspberry. “But I think I can speak for both my sister and I when I say you couldn’t have found a better gem for that crown, so let’s talk payment for it, shall we?”

“Oh, yes, that…well…” Raspberry nervously kicked the floor, trying to come up with a price. “What about a hundred bits?”

“A hundred bits?!” shouted Rarity, her jaw hanging in shock.

Raspberry shrunk back, startled by the sudden reaction. Heliodor was as well, moving a wing to shield himself if need be.

“I-if that’s too high then I can reduce-“ started the frightened gem seller, but stopped when Rarity merely facehoofed, Razz fearing the worst.

Rarity, however, just sighed in exasperation, then for whatever reason laughed softly. “Oh, Raspberry, darling, you need to stop selling yourself short. I’ve worked with gems ever since I got my cutie mark, so much that if I didn’t want to be a fashionista anymore I could probably go into evaluating the value of gems. That diamond my sister is cavorting around with on her head? That is far more valuable than a measly one hundred bits.”

“Well, um, yeah, of course, I knew that!” said Raspberry, “But you’re my best customer and probably one of my closest friends I’ve ever had, so consider it a discount.”

“I’m afraid I will have to politely refuse such a discount,” declared Rarity with the air of somepony with excessive amounts of class, “I will pay you a minimum of three hundred bits for that diamond, and not a single bit less!”

“Gee, thanks Rarity…” half said, half whispered an extremely modest Raspberry.

“Furthermore, that is separate from all the other gems I’m sure you’ve brought to me, which we can discuss a bit later. But for now, I insist that we retire to my lounge and have a chat over tea. I simply must know more about you, darling!”

Raspberry then froze in silent horror, requiring Heliodor to lightly squeeze her horn to bring her back into focus. She needed to come up with something more about her past she could feel safe revealing, as while it was quickly becoming evident Rarity could be a trusted confidant, actually telling somepony the truth for once required more nerve than Raspberry currently had the ability to muster.

“A-are you sure this is going to work?” asked Fluttershy nervously.

“Relax, this is Twilight we’re talking about!” confidently exclaimed Rainbow, just as much for both her sake and Lightning Dust’s as it was for Fluttershy. While living with Lightning Dust hadn’t been nearly as bad as the blue pegasus had initially feared (and that was before factoring in the fact she was becoming a werewolf), there still was the problem of having to feed her. As everypony had learned with Applejack, the biggest problem with a werewolf hiding their lycanthropy was the need to subtly consume meat. Since it had worked out with AJ going to Fluttershy’s place for her protein supplements, Rainbow and Twilight had decided to let Fluttershy in on Dust’s fate. Due to Fluttershy’s cottage also being relatively remote from Ponyville, it made the perfect place to try the first of Twilight’s ‘experiments’ as in the event something went wrong the aftermath could be contained.

“Indeed, there’s not much to worry about in the first place,” said Twilight, paging through some notes she’d brought to consult. “All I’m doing is trying to examine the extent to which the curse is magically bound to her bloodstream. From there I can calculate what needs to be done to extract a sample, from which a counteragent spell can be made and-“

“In a language we can understand, please,” droned Dust, more annoyed than nervous from her place in the middle of the room.

Spike then entered, hauling another box of notes. “Basically, she’s putting you under a metaphorical microscope to examine your bloodstream. Only instead of an actual device, she’s using her magic.”

“I’m impressed, you can actually translate nerdspeak!” said Dust, her tone implying it was an indirect insult and getting her a reprimanding look from Rainbow. “Uh, sorry, that came out wrong…”

Rainbow just shook her head and then gave Twilight a “what can you do?” look. Twilight barely even registered the indirect insult and Rainbow’s actions, instead having levitated some more notes. A few minutes later, the various items levitated by the alicorn flew behind her, leaving nothing in-between her and Lightning Dust.

“Alright, I’m ready to begin. Are you, Dust?”

The pegasus merely shrugged. “As I’ll ever be.”

“Good. Beginning magical examination in three…two…one…” the aura around Twilight’s horn, already present from the magic in use to levitate her notes, went up a notch in luminosity as it created a duplicate aura around the werewolf-to-be. For the next few minutes, everypony was silent as Twilight peered into a level of physical reality only accessible by trained unicorn doctors. However, it also left her oblivious to the world around her.

-ight!

Was somepony calling her name?

TWILIGHT!

The alicorn opened her eyes to find Spike frantically trying to get her attention.

“Kill the magic! Kill it!”

“Why, I’m so…” started Twilight, not exactly willing to stop so soon after starting, but suddenly was at a loss for words when she realized just what it was she’d accomplished, immediately stopping her magic flow.

As the notes all fell around her, she looked on in horror at the scene in front of her. Lightning had collapsed on the floor and seemed to be suffering from the early stages of heat exhaustion. Rainbow was on her haunches in front of her temporary roommate, her hooves holding Dust’s. Fluttershy was conspicuously absent.

“What did you do?!” snarled Rainbow at Twilight, “This isn’t any kind of safe examination I know of!”

“I…I don’t understand! There shouldn’t have been any adverse reaction to that spell, it’s a common tool used in hospitals all over Equestria!”

“To be fair, Twilight, you’re not exactly trained in the medical sciences like the staff in a hospital, even if you are more skilled in magic in general!”

“S-so….itchy…” whined Dust, her tightly clamped eyelids doing nothing to prevent the tears coming out from the pain. But it was the itchiness that immediately made all ponies present very, very nervous.

“What have I done…” whispered Twilight, the full ramifications of what had happened only now becoming evident.

“Out of my way!” said Fluttershy, rushing into the room with some weird kind of padded stick and similarly padded coverings on her forelegs. She motioned for Rainbow to move, allowing the animal caretaker to take her place. “Dust, look at me. Open your eyes to look at me, please.”

The suffering pegasus did so, her eyes already starting to become red from the crying. Fluttershy then lifted the stick. “I know you’re in pain” said the yellow mare, not even blinking to ensure total eye contact, “that’s why I have this. Bite into it as much as you have to. It’s not going to lessen the pain, but it will help make it more tolerable.”

Lightning gave a quick nod, opening her mouth long enough for Fluttershy to put in the stick. The moment she pulled away the jaws clamped shut like a spring-loaded vice, Dust’s fangs sinking deep into the padding.

“The stress stick is something I use to help animals go through internal pains and pose a risk of biting others, namely me.” Said Fluttershy, answering the question she knew had been forming in the minds of everypony else. “Trust me, when you have to help a bear give birth, you learn these things.”

Any further discussion was cut off by Dust letting out an unnaturally loud scream, startling Twilight and Spike enough that they backed away. Not Fluttershy, however, who took one of Dust’s hooves in her own, a padded one, while using a wing to toss the padded covering’s twin over to Rainbow. She wasted no time in putting it on and taking Dust’s other forehoof into her own as well.

The presence and dedication of the other two pegasus ponies, even in recognition of the sheer amount of danger they put themselves in, touched Dust, who began to get a very in-depth experience as to what Applejack must have felt like when she first transformed. As for the non-werewolves in the room, the involuntary convulsions and unnatural alterations going on with Dust’s body, along with the constant screaming, horrified them as they too knew this is what Applejack had gone through thanks to Sable Loam.

Dust didn’t know how long it had been between her collapsing from having spontaneously felt really hot and when the last pains of transformation had ended, but right now all she really felt like doing was laying on the floor and crying for the loss of her status as a pure pony.

“Dust…?” cautiously asked Rainbow.

“Don’t you bucking dare ask *sniff* if I’m alright…” snapped Dust, the rest of her retort cut by the shock of hearing her voice also having become much huskier.

“I’m not stupid, Dust, I clearly saw what just happened. I’m just making sure that you’re still you.”

“You mean if I’m still the*sniff* self-serving, egotistical bitch who is crashing *sniff* on your couch? The jury’s still out on that right now, but I’d suggest *sniff*not renting that out until the jury gets back unless you want to learn what it’s like to be forcefully changed into a different species.”

Rainbow smiled. “Oh, good, your sense of humor made it through your transformation. So we have that.”

“Celestiadamnit, Dash…” said Dust, unable to resist giggling at the inside joke. It came out as a throaty *hur hur hur* but retained enough of her natural voice that it wasn’t totally horrifying.

Fluttershy gave Rainbow and approving nod, for it was important to keep Dust in good spirits in light of what just happened. “Hey, Lightning? Are you by chance hungry?”

Dust stopped laughing and her eyes went wide. She was pretty hungry now that she thought about it. “It feels like I could eat an entire manticore right now, honestly.”

“Well…” started Fluttershy, playfully, “I’m fresh out of those, but I do have some meatburgers I could cook up instead.”

“That’d be great.”

Without another word, Fluttershy got up and went over to the kitchen. Twilight, meanwhile, slowly walked up to Dust, who herself was shakily getting up on all four of her new paws.

“Listen, Dust, I’m so sorry for this…”

“Sorry for what?”

Twilight’s face immediately turned to that of confusion. “I just triggered your first transformation, it’s because of me you’re a full werewolf now... aren’t you mad at me?”

Dust shook her head. “Nah. We all knew this was going to happen to me eventually, all you did was try to help fix it. Nopony could have known how the curse would have reacted to what you did, plus it’s probably for the best to have gotten this whole ‘transformation pains’ thing out of the way as soon as possible, too.”

“Well, it’s relief to hear you don’t blame me for this.”

“You’re a princess, you think I could get away with trying anything against you?” laughed Dust. “That said, I really feel like stretching my limbs after Fluttershy is done with those burgers.” As she was talking, Dust had unfurled her wings, which actually didn’t appear to have changed at all. “Huh, these babies are still authentic, hopefully they can still keep me afloat like this.”

“Yeah, we’re…gonna need to talk about that.” Said Dash.

“What are you talking about? Asked Dust, turning her head slightly to the side in confusion.

“You’re a show off, Dust. I know, I’m one myself, that’s the main reason we hit it off so well back at the Academy. Now, that means you’re going to want to do low-flying stunts since it gets the adrenaline pumping and is in full view of everypony on the ground.”

“What’s the problem with that?”

“How do you think the town is going to react when it looks like a werewolf has gained the ability to attack from the sky and is divebombing towards random ponies in the middle of Ponyville?”

“…point.”

“Moo…MOO!” called out what was totally-a-cow-and-not-Sweetie Belle.

Somepony moved within the Apple Family household, disappearing from an upstairs window to the downstairs, where a door was opened. Reluctantly, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo made their way inside, with Babs closing the door behind them.

“Where’s Apple Bloom?” asked Scootaloo in a hushed whisper, as to not wake the sleeping Apples.

“Not in her room, which is exactly as I suspected.” Sneered Babs, prompting the unicorn and the pegasus to trade uneasy glances with each other.

“What do you mean she isn’t in her room?”

“Come.” Babs motioned for the duo to go upstairs, making sure to keep the noise down. Sure enough, after leading them into Apple Bloom’s room, the main occupant was conspicuously missing from the bed.

“Maybe she’s in the restroom or something?” suggested Sweetie.

“Then explain this.” Babs then walked over and brought out a bag hidden from under the bed. It was an empty Happy Puppy dog biscuit package. “She is a werewolf, I knew it!”

“But…don’t you think she’d tell us about something like that?” pointed out Scoot, “I mean, we’re her best friends, we tell each other everything! Not to mention she was with us the night Diamond had the nightmare about her being a werewolf, too!”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out…” said Babs, moving over to the closet where she took out what looked like a lasso rope. “Apple Bloom said she kept this to try practicing her lasso skills.”

“But we tried lasso tossing for cutie marks, it didn’t work.” Pointed out Scootaloo.

“It’s not Applejack’s special talent, either, but you’ve seen her skills with it. Maybe Apple Bloom just wants to try being like her big sister? Regardless, we need it more than her now, anyway.”

“Wh-what are we gonna do?” nervously asked Sweetie.

“We’re going to ambush her by hiding behind this door, so when she comes into the room, we’ll use the rope to tie her up and make it so she has to tell us what’s really going on.”

“Uh…” started Sweetie Belle, “if she is a werewolf, doesn’t that sort of put us at risk of being bit-“

“Quickly, hide!” interrupted Babs, pushing the other Crusaders behind the door. The only sound was that of the front door being opened and closed. Then what sounded like padded feet going up the stairs, except halfway through it turned into regular hoof clopping. The tension was thick enough to cut with a silver knife as the sound of hooves went right up to being right behind the door.

“Sorry, Babs…” said Apple Bloom. Babs was shocked that Apple Bloom had somehow known she’d been there the whole time, but even moreso when suddenly Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle jumped her and soon had her tied up. Apple Bloom moved to close the door and then looked right at her cousin, but with sad eyes instead of the angry eyes Babs was expecting.

“Wh-what’s going-“ exclaimed Babs, only to be shushed by the Crusaders and was forced to maintain a hushed whisper. “*sigh* Okay, what’s the big idea here?”

“Do you promise not to scream?” asked the yellow filly, the pleading nature of the request evident in her eyes. Babs merely nodded. With no recourse, Apple Bloom shifted yet again into her wolf form.

Babs gasped, but was surprised to see she was the only one to do so. “Waitaminute…Scoot, Sweetie, you two knew about this? Apple Bloom, why did you tell them and not me?!”

“Ah didn’t tell them, they were there when…when Ah first turned into this. They’ve known the entire time and been helpin’ me try to hide it.”

“But why didn’t I get informed about this?! Why the lies?! I thought I was a Crusader just like you three!”

“And you are, Babs, but it was my call not to tell you because…well, because you’re family and Ah couldn’t risk you tellin’ Big Mac or Granny or, above all else, Applejack.”

Babs had to wonder why her older cousin was singled out. “Why Applejack, of all ponies?”

“You know that whole werewolf business that went down a year ago?”

“Yeah?”

“It started because Applejack was a werewolf, the one that got killed was the same one who had turned her. It was a really rough time for her, especially since as we all found out later that…well, let’s just say if she found out Ah somehow have come the thing she hated bein’, Ah don’t know what would happen, and Ah’m scared as can be of what that would be.”

“I understand, but again; why didn’t you let me know about this?!”

Scootaloo then realized what was really going on. “Babs, are…are you angrier about the fact you were kept in the dark about Apple Bloom being a werewolf, then Apple Bloom actually being werewolf?”

“Yeah! I thought you guys thought I was trustworthy, aren't the Crusaders supposed to be some kind of secret society or somethin'? Keepin' secrets from everypony but ourselves is kind of the point, isn’t it?”

Silence again, then Apple Bloom spoke up. “As Ah said, Ah was the one who wanted to keep you in the dark about all this, but…Ah thought you would be afraid of me. Afraid of this monster that Ah am now.” Feeling it was safe enough, Apple Bloom walked up to the still-tied up Babs and raised a paw.

Babs didn’t quite know what to expect, other than it not being Apple Bloom simply touching the lasso knot and causing the binding ropes to fall off easily, freeing the trapped filly. But Babs' attention was still on Apple Bloom, who despite the more canine like features was clearly still the same pony.

“Are you kidding? I think it’s kinda cool having a werewolf for a cousin! Plus, you’re not actively hurtin' other ponies. I mean, you risked exposin' this secret all to save somepony’s life, especially since that pony is apparently tryin' to prove you are a werewolf.”

“So you did see mah wolf muzzle when Ah was spinnin’ around. Ah didn’t believe when Scoot and Sweetie told me you had, but…moot point now, Ah guess. Ah’m sorry for wantin’ to keep this from you, as a Crusader and your cousin, Ah shoulda been more open about this to you.”

Babs merely moved to embrace her transformed kin. “It’s alright, Apple Bloom, just…let’s promise not to have any more secrets like this again, deal?”

“Deal!”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said nothing, allowing the cousins to rebuild their bond.

“Awww…” said Sweetie, taking in the touching moment.

Scootaloo just nickered in annoyance, feeling it was a little too hammy a resolution. Desperate to get free of the adorable moment, she realized something else that the Crusaders needed to address. ‘Hey, girls, Nightmare Night is next week! We still need costumes! And no, Apple Bloom, being yourself as a wolf won’t cut it!”


	41. Book2 Ch.16 Nightmare Night!

Rise of the Furball Chapter 16: “Nightmare Night!”

 

During the time when Queen Faust worked to turn the uneasy peace between the three pony subspecies into one single, unified population, she had encouraged the Earth ponies to restart an ancient tradition of holding a harvest festival at the end of fall. Having been largely forgotten by ponies during the period when Wendigoes created an unending blizzard that destroyed all crop production, Faust insisted on the resurrected tradition to be expanded and include unicorns and pegasi. In time, it assisted in her goal of a unified Equestria as one of the major examples of promoting harmony between ponies, and would continue even after she passed the throne to her daughters.

Then, shortly before the harvest festival was to be celebrated all over Equestria, Luna’s jealousy and insecurities were allowed to manifest in her rage against Celestia, resulting in the birth of Nightmare Moon. By the time even the farthest reaches of the country had heard of Luna’s attempted coup d’état, the festival was largely forgotten as everypony was scared that the princess-turned-monster would come after them, if not one of her monstrous minions such as werewolves or the vampiric batponies. The following year, well after Celestia had tearfully banished her own sister to a thousand years on the moon and the New Lunar Republic crushed under her subsequent rage, the lone alicorn insisted that the harvest festivals resume. However, as the reign of terror caused by Nightmare Moon was still fresh in the minds of the populace, rumors circulated of her return, and so to avoid mass panic Celestia was forced to change the harvest festival into a yearly event dedicated to everything scary and what goes bump in the night. While it hurt Celestia to have effectively villainize her sister, the newly created Nightmare Night was a success in every respect and helped turn the terrors of old into mere folklore and simple young reader level scary story material. Much to the sun princess’s relief, Luna was amused at the idea of a holiday dedicated to her, at least after making a major scene in Ponyville unannounced for her first public appearance following her restoration. As for all the other creatures of the night who were Nightmare Night icons, they had disappeared over the years or become more docile over the years, such as the batponies no longer needing to drink blood thanks to genetic drift.

Or at least that was what Silver Spoon had wanted to believe. But after months of being dragged along by Diamond Tiara and that ghost werewolf on some scheme to expose Apple Bloom as one of those monsters of yore, with the pretense of needing such activity having been thrown in her face, the young silversmith had never been more scared, even on previous Nightmare Nights.

“…and so that’s the plan, got it?” asked Diamond, who was dressed up as a miniature éclair.

“Yeah…” half-heartedly answered the gray filly, whose own costume, that of a slice of French Cream Pie, had yet to be put on.

She and Diamond were in Silver’s room, as while Silver had survived falling into the river she hadn’t totally escaped unharmed. As it turned out, she’d broken her left foreleg at some point during the smashing against things in the water, not feeling it until she’d already been brought to Ponyville General. Now she was forced to wear the foreleg brace if she wanted to get anywhere, much like how Apple Bloom had needed to wear one although she only had some kind of severe cut, not a broken leg.

“Great. Now, get your costume on,” continued Diamond, oblivious to the unsure undertones in her companion’s voice or her own volume when she muttered, “This would have been so much easier if you hadn’t stupidly broken your leg!”

“What was that?” said Silver, turning to fully look at Diamond.

“Uh, just muttering to myself how we’re gonna get Apple Bloom tonight!” lied Tiara. Silver had a fairly good idea what had really been said, but between the lingering effects of the pain medication she’d been prescribed and her unwillingness to argue with her only friend, Silver just didn’t feel like making a point of it. At the very least, all she had to do was be the lookout tonight since she couldn’t really do anything else thanks to her busted leg.

“Silver, Diamond, it’s time to go!” called up Silver’s mom.

“Coming, mom!” replied Silver. “Okay, can you help me get into this thing, Tiara?”

Diamond nickered. “If I have too…”

“Y-you want me to come along?” cautiously asked Raspberry, currently manning the desk at the Traveler’s Retreat.

“But of course, darling!” replied Rarity, dressed up in her old Princess Platinum costume from the one time she played the role in the Canterlot Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant. It wasn’t exactly the same; the cloak had been mostly ruined by mildew and masonry residue, a result of its storage bin having been damaged due to having been in a box that suffered flood damage when Spike had 'helped' Applejack 'help' Rarity in fixing the not actually broken water pipes, then forgotten in the wake of Ceberus having laid siege to Carousel Boutique a year ago. What had been salvageable was incorporated into a new cloak, visually the exact same but slightly thicker as to keep Rarity warm in the event this Nightmare Night was chillier than usual.

“But I don’t have a costume.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?! I make clothes for Celestia’s sake, plus after that last gem delivery a week ago I would have happily made you a new costume from the ground up!”

“I-I’m sorry…”

Rarity just shook her head. “Raspberry, Raspberry, Raspberry…what am I going to do with you?”

“Leave me here?” Raspberry then gave a squee-grade grin.

Rarity just looked unamused. Her horn then lit up, encapsulating the hapless non-costumed mare. “I will not stand by and let somepony like you sit out Nightmare Night. Come, surely I can make something out of what I left lying around at home.”

Unwillingly being forced to hover as Rarity turned to leave, Raspberry flailed her limbs wildly, trying to break free without using her magic. Rarity couldn’t know that fact, not yet. So, instead, Raspberry cried for help.

“What’s going on?” came Cashmere, walking in from the kitchen in the house area of the Retreat. “Miss Rarity, what are you doing to Razz?”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” apologized Rarity, still leaving Raspberry hovering in the air, “but she doesn’t have a Nightmare Night costume, so I’m going to take her to be fitted and then she will help chaperone the Crusaders for candy.”

“I, uh, what?” was all Beryl could say.

“Oh, don’t tell me you’ve never experienced Nightmare Night, ever!” dramatically exclaimed Rarity, much to Raspberry’s mild annoyance.

“Didn’t have the time, usually I tried to schedule one of my gem trips around the end of the harvest season. I never saw the point, you know what my fillyhood was like and I’ve never wanted to make a costume because money is always tight.”

“Well, I think Miss Rarity will see to it that this year is different, won’t you?” asked Cashmere. “And Razz, dear, you can take the rest of the night off. Nopony comes to the Retreat this late on Nightmare Night anyway, so Ascot and I can handle it. We’re old coots as it is, so we tend to just stay inside and pass out candy to any fillies and colts who come around. But you’re young - you should have the chance to experience a fun night like this!”

By that point, Heliodor had come in and, upon seeing his usual perch was now unstable and hovering in the air, chose a nearby table.

“Oh, and I’ll make a costume for little Heelee, too!” squealed Rarity.

Heliodor, however, had a sinking feeling in his gut as a reaction, giving Raspberry a ‘what the hell is she going to do to me?’ look.

“A fashion makeover, to both of us.” Said Raspberry, equally as uneasy as her pet. Rarity then suddenly took the chance to bolt out of the Retreat, the hapless unicorn in her aura taken along for the ride. Heliodor merely facewinged before taking off to follow. He dreaded what the alabaster fashionista was going to do to them.

He soon got his answer when Rarity almost literally tossed his mistress into the Boutique. He quickly rushed to her side, even though he knew she wasn’t hurt, but the sudden loud click of the door lock made him pale.

“R-Rarity?” whimpered Raspberry, now unsure of what was going on.

“You two. Will. Be…” She then turned around, her eyes and muzzle distorted with a crazed look, “FABULOUS!”

The various tools around the workfloor became ignited with her aura as were pieces of fabric, all of them spinning in one large circle. Raspberry and Heliodor clutched each other, screaming in terror, as the ensemble descended upon them like a ravenous beast.

Lightning Dust anxiously moved about the inside of Rainbow Dash’s home. It was bad enough that she was cooped up inside a building of some kind, her wolf side was practically screaming in her head to be let loose. Normally she was able to sneak out to the Everfree during such nights, thankfully rare as they were, but as agreed she needed to tell Rainbow she was doing so.

The issue at hoof was that Rainbow Dash had disappeared. Dust had been taking a nap on the couch when Rainbow had last come home, so all she remembered was the blue Pegasus saying something about getting ready for Nightmare night. But that had been fifteen minutes ago, before all sound from the upstairs stopped. Investigation found the master bedroom to be in a state of total chaos (which, despite every logical reason to believe so, was normally extremely clean and tidy in contrast to the way RD treated everything on the ground).

“R-rainbow?” cautiously called out Dust. Dash’s disappearance had spooked her badly, with every odd noise making her fur stand on end. She’d even allowed her fangs to be put out simply to help reassure herself that whatever she might face, she wasn’t totally defenseless.

Suddenly, the entire house went pitch black.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” screamed Dust. In her panic she accidentally fell on her back, her four legs pointed up into the nothingness. Frozen with fear, she paled as something in a horribly strained tone, as if perpetually choking, started to whisper things in tongues she didn’t understand. Then they became things she did understand such as

“Nightmare Niiiiiiiiiiiight…What a friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight…give me somethiiiiiiiiing…”

The hyperventilating only increased as the voice became louder. Then, suddenly, from the top of her view game two giant, glowing eyes, attached to a nightmarish Shadowbolt that was the source of the strange voice and shouted;

“SWEET TO BITE!”

Acting on pure instinct, Dust didn’t even have time to process her actions before she immediately shifted to full wolf form, righted herself, and then dashed under the nearest thing she could see. It then occurred to her that she could see better in the dark when she was a wolf. The lights then came on, the shadowbolt having restored the lighting spell in the lamp fixtures, revealing it to be only Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, man!” laughed Rainbow, keeling over and clutching her chest, laughing all the way down. “Your face…Oh, Celestia, your face! I didn’t think I was that good!”

Dust’s first thought was to immediately attack Rainbow and bite down on her neck so hard it would crush the windpipe. She bared her teeth in anger, but she willed herself back in control, although doing so made her realize how easily she’d lost control from something as simple as a prank. That scared her much more than Rainbow had, prompting her to start tearing up.

Rainbow immediately realized her prank had gone too far, although considering how fearless Dust usually was, the idea a rather simple scare tactic had reduced her to tears made no sense. “Aw, geez, I’m sorry, Dust…” apologized Rainbow, removing the headpiece and goggles so her six-color mane fell free. “You should have told me that you’re not one for scares. After everything we did back at the academy-“

“That was a different me!” Lightning snapped back, her physical state somewhere halfway between pony and wolf as she slowly forced herself back to normal. “Back then I wasn’t a werewolf, I wasn’t so insecure about myself because sometimes I don’t know what is real or not since I’m now something that all my life was said to be a myth!” She started to choke, big fat tears starting to come down. “D-don’t get the wrong id-idea, Dash, it was a good prank and if I was half the mare I used to be I w-would have done th-the same…but…but my gut reaction when you revealed it was you…I just h-had to stop myself from killing you simply out of fear!”

Rainbow involuntarily took a half-step back at that revelation, but then continued forward and took her troubled flatmate into an embrace.

“But you didn’t, Dust. I’m sorry I put you in this position, if I’d even had the slightest hint a scare like that would have set you off I wouldn’t have dared to do that.”

“I-its okay, Dash. It’s Nightmare N-Night, after all. Best night of the y-year for pranks.”

“More like prank, since that was the only one I’d planned.” Dust broke the embrace, her eyes red from the tears but giving Rainbow a hard enough ‘what are you talking about’ look that the blue Pegasus had to give a sheepish grin as she responded. “I promised Scootaloo that I’d chaperone her and her friends around, since I’m her adoptive big sister. No time for pranks, even though I honestly would love to do what I did that one year all over again.”

“Wh-what did you do?”

Seeing the opportunity to cheer up the cursed mare, Rainbow got up and retrieved her Shadowbolt mask, donning it once again before going into excruciating detail about how she pushed a cloud around and fired thunderbolts at unsuspecting ponies…and her own shocking surprise.

“Wait, Princess Luna used your own prank against you?!” chortled Dust, who was of a much better mood.

“Yeah, it was embarrassing, luckily only Twilight and Spike were there to see it since they’d been my targets.” Admitted Dash, whose blush could be seen through the mask. “But, times change, so I’m playing it low key this year and hanging out with the girls on the ground.”

“As a Shadowbolt once again?”

“Nah, I only brought this thing out so I could prank you with it. I’ve got a different, less threatening one already prepped for me back upstairs. As for you…”

Dust shrugged. “I figured I would just spend a night in the Everfree again, I gotta go wolf form soon and it’s not going to do me any good cooped up in your house or in public.”

Dash nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that makes sense. But you could stick around that clearing where the Nightmare Moon statue is. Normally it’s safe, but just in case it would be nice if you patrolled the area to keep it clear from any monsters. Some occasional growls while the kids and chaperones are doing the candy ritual thing would help set the mood, too.”

Dust then gave a conspiratorial grin, her fangs once again showing, “does that mean I can take some of the candy when nobody’s looking?”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Like a werewolf needs any more reason to be hyperactive,” She chuckled.

“I’m so ready for CANDY!” exclaimed Scootaloo, who to nopony’s surprise was wearing an Iron Mare costume.

“Yeah, it kind of stinks that our cutie marks won’t be for candy collecting,” said Sweetie, dressed in her own “pretty princess” outfit. Visually, it looked similar to the one Rarity was wearing although the elder unicorn was busy subjecting Raspberry and Heliodor to the Carousel Boutique Horror Show, the main difference being Sweetie’s crown was a more traditional closed-top headpiece. At its highest point sat the magnificent diamond centerpiece with smaller gems of various colors dotting the rest of the crown.

“Or candy eatin’!” added Babs, who had decided to dress up as a changeling of all things. Clad in a form-fitting catsuit with holes cut at random in the leggings to simulate the signature appearance of the changelings, a saddle carapace and wing attachments made of cardboard were tied around her middle, and a cheap pair of plastic vampire fangs completed the look.

“Or dressin’ up in costumes!” agreed Apple Bloom. She was dressed up in a rather simple costume: Carmine Sancaballo. She wore a blood-red trenchcoat and a large red fedora, similar to those worn by the world famous thief who was a semi-regular antagonist in the Daring Do books. She then playfully mimicked the character by reaching for the diamond sitting upon Sweetie’s head.

“Stop right there, Sancaballo!” announced Daring Do, who swooped down and “tackled” her enemy away from the prize. Rainbow then swooped around and put Apple Bloom back on the ground. “Great costume, by the way, you even have the hoof boots and everything!”

“Would ya believe those were mine a long time ago?” said Applejack, who was wearing of all things a Wonderbolt costume. She even had fake plastic wings the same shade of orange as her coat, although they were cast in the folded position as having them in an open pose would be problematic for a pony who normally didn’t have wings. “They’re mah old rain galoshes, but Granny preserved ‘em for Apple Bloom so well that they seem to fit the part.”

“Speaking of preserved, look who’s coming,” said Rainbow, motioning to an approaching figure. Amazingly, it was Fluttershy of all ponies, wearing her old Private Pansy costume. Rainbow had to voice what everypony was thinking; “Fluttershy, don’t you usually hide at home during Nightmare Night?”

“Y-yes, normally I would, but…” replied the armored mare, “I figured it would be alright this time, just hanging around with you girls.”

“Whoopee! This is going to be the best Nightmare Night EVER!” exclaimed Pinkie, her costume of choice being a giant Gummy suit, with Gummy himself (attached to her mane by way of clamped jaws) dressed in a mini-Pinkie suit

“It’s going to be an interesting one for sure!” said Twilight, who somehow managed to glide in and land without tripping, with Spike on her back clutching on for dear life. All the other ponies gathered gave a quick ground stamping applause for the alicorn.

“A little higher on the approach next time, but otherwise that was good!” approved Rainbow Dash, “although…you do still need to work on choosing costumes other ponies actually would know.”

Twilight nickered in annoyance. “I’m Wysteria the Wise! Please tell me somepony here knows who she is!”

Silence.

“Apprentice to Star Swirl the Bearded? First Archmagus under the newly formed Equestrian Crown under Queen Faust?”

More silence.

“Hey, at least it’s better than that Coperneighcus costume you drafted up,” commented Spike, who was wearing a giant phoenix outfit. “That thing made you look like a beet.”

Twilight sighed. “I told you, Spike, that idea went down the tubes when I couldn’t work in a way to accommodate these.” She partially unfolded her wings to prove her point. “If there was some way I could keep these from springing up involuntarily, then I could still go around as a unicorn. But, since this is the night meant for scaring and my control over my new appendages isn’t perfect, this costume is better for me. After all, you even said as such earlier…Spike, are you listening?”

The dragon didn’t hear anything, as his full attention was on the diamond in Sweetie’s crown. Sure, the little gems around it looked like sweet little candies, but the centerpiece was one of the most delicious looking gems he’d ever seen in his life. The fountain of drool coming from his mouth was evidence of such. It was only when he was aware that everypony was looking at him with concern that he snapped out of his trance.

“Oh, uh, sorry, trying to avoid getting sick on candy again, but I’m so hungry and that diamond…”

Sweetie Belle shook her head to dissuade the dragon. “I wouldn’t recommend even thinking about it, Spike. Rarity had this diamond special ordered from Raspberry Beryl, who said this is the largest diamond she ever sold.”

“Speaking of whom…” began Apple Bloom, gesturing with her head towards more approaching figures. This time, it was Rarity in her original costume escorting Raspberry and Heliodor.

The gathered ponies looked on as Rarity arrived with her companions, sporting her improvised on-the-spot costumes. Raspberry Beryl, done up in a slightly filly, slightly country style pleated dress, with a medium red cloak over it all. Her mane was done up in two long pigtails that seemed sort of the same as how Granny Smith looked in the old pictures of her as a filly.

Heliodor was a grumpy phoenix wearing a midget-sized dragon costume. He hated it. Then he hated it more when he realized it was colored like Spike.

“Well, um…” snickered Pinkie, “guess we have a pair of paired opposites!”

“Indeed.” Said Rarity. “Admittedly, I did intentionally make Heliodor’s costume similar to Spike, but only because they are similar in their relations to their pony partners.”

“Wait, Raspberry, you think of Heliodor as a younger brother?” questioned Twilight before shooting a disapproving look at Rarity for putting words in the other unicorn’s mouth.

“No, not really, although the idea they’re dressed up as each other is cute,” replied the cloaked mare, “but I see Heelee as just a close friend and companion. That said, I wasn’t originally planning on being out tonight until Rarity dragged me out of the Retreat, so I don’t know what’s going on tonight.”

“What do you mean you don’t know what’s going on?” asked Pinkie, before doing an exaggerated gasp, “Oh, don’t tell me you’ve never celebrated Nightmare Night before!”

“Never had the chance, nor interest, nor even enough money for a costume in the event I had the other two.”

“Well, then!” exclaimed Rainbow, hovering over and draping a foreleg around the unicorn, “You’re with the right group of ponies to do it with!”

To say Raspberry was nervous was an understatement. She’d gone from happily manning the desk back at the hotel, to now having been stuffed into a costume (which was admittedly quite nice, especially the cloak) and spending the night with the six most dangerous ponies possible. And their younger counterparts, including Apple Bloom who still gave off an unsettling aura of…something, Raspberry didn’t know what it was any more than she did last time, but it wasn’t good.

But…she thought, daring a smile while pretending to follow what the discussion at hoof was about, perhaps I’m just getting worried about nothing. If I can prove to the six elements I’m a good pony who doesn’t want to hurt anypony, then that could be the ticket to me finally breaking free of my cursed life. Bolstered by the thought this was the end of all her troubles, Raspberry eagerly agreed to help chaperone the Crusaders while they collected candy. There were mentions of some candy-giving ritual to some statue of Nightmare Moon, but every instance of that reminded Raspberry that the secrets she kept were far scarier than any inert statue.

Diamond hurriedly placed the last of the bait on the path before darting to safety. If anypony learned she’d purposefully not been with the group being led by Zecora for the candy-giving ritual (which was stupid, everypony knew Nightmare Moon didn’t really exist anymore now that Princess Luna wasn’t being confused for her anymore), it would be a world of trouble coming her way. But with Silver Spoon having stayed behind in Ponyville as the cover, claiming Diamond was busy using the little filly’s room, Diamond only needed to get back before anypony realized the truth and she was home free.

And Apple Bloom? Well…

“Now you’re going to get yours!” whispered Tiara. While she wouldn’t be there to see what happened to the monster in Apple Bloom’s skin, just knowing the task would be accomplished was enough at this point. Then, as if giving a signal to an unseen watcher, she motioned with her hoof, and then took off into the forest. She didn’t need to fear any of the creatures, her friend from the other side had ensured none of those beasts would cross her path tonight.

As it was, she made good time and was back in Ponyville before anybody noticed, meeting up with Silver Spoon and where she’d put her stored costume.

“Finally!” exclaimed Silver, “you were kind of pushing it for time there!”

“Oh, give it a rest, I got it done, didn’t I?” chided Diamond, moving to put the éclair back on. Silver then stopped her.

“Diamond…what happened in the Everfree?”

“What are you talking about? I set the trap, so you-know-who will deal with the rest!”

“Then what’s the blue stuff on your hooves? And more importantly…where’s your cutie mark?”

Panic registered in Tiara’s brain as she immediately looked down at her hooves. They were spotted with blue pollen. Then, slowly, she turned to look at her flank.

It was blank.

All thoughts of her glorious revenge on Apple Bloom were immediately replaced by a shrill scream of Diamond Tiara having become the very thing she loved to mock. It was only the first of multiple scares the town would endure that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Authors note removed. A different fic by him was announced. Also not in this series.


	42. Book2 Ch.17 What a Fright!

Rise of the Furball Chapter 17: “What a Fright!”

  


“W-what are we doin’, exactly?” stammered Babs. She wouldn’t ever admit it, her pride as a Manehatten mare demanded as such, but she was legitimately scared.

“Don’t you do Nightmare Night in the city?” asked Sweetie.

“Well, yeah, what town doesn’t? I’m sure every pony town has young fillies and colts do this ritual thing where we offer candy for Nightmare Moon to eat instead of us. Only in Manehatten it’s done in Strawberry Fields, or rather during Nightmare Night when it’s known as ‘Spookscary Fields’, with one of the art sculptures made to look like Nightmare Moon through illusion magic. And you can still see the lights of the skyscrapers above the treeline during the event, too.”

“Aw, come on!” replied Scootaloo, “it’s not that bad. The path is protected by magical wards and is still pretty close to Ponyville, so we’re safe. Plus, it _is_ Nightmare Night, being scared is part of the fun!”

“Don’t forget, Babs…” added Apple Bloom, “Ah’d say the most dangerous thing _isn’t_ in the woods.” For the briefest of seconds, she grinned at Babs with teeth far too sharp to belong in a typical filly’s mouth.

“Y-yeah, I guess…” was all Babs could say, although oddly enough, the fact Apple Bloom had jokingly reminded Babs of her “other form” helped the non-local filly relax a little, since she knew if something bad happened Apple Bloom wouldn’t hesitate to protect her kin.

“Miss Zecora,” piped up a young colt, most of his coat covered by his ninja costume but his inconstant Trottingham accent betraying his identity, “is Princess Luna going to be coming this year?”

"Dear Pip, sadly she must stay in Canterlot - she cannot play," answered the shamaness, who looked fearsome in her costume, that of a traditional Zebrababwean tribal warrior. "I'm sure however, she misses you, and knows quite well you miss her too. But just because Luna is not here does not mean there's naught to fear. This night is dark and filled with spooks and at a glance, _they'll_ still want to play and prance!"

It seemed like the young colt had more to say, but another part of the group exclaimed the statue was within sight. Zecora quickly gathered her charges around, with a few other older ponies serving to help keep the kids in line. Mainly, the Princess and her friends, except Raspberry in place of Pinkie for undisclosed reasons.

“So, wait, they sacrifice _candy_ to the statue?” inquired Raspberry, who was the only pony of the entire group who was new to the holiday.

Rarity nodded. “Yes, it’s silly, but Zecora is a natural at making the kids really frightened, Pinkie isn’t even allowed back here during this because of what happened that one time with Princess Luna.”

“But, isn’t Nightmare Moon-“

“Yes, they’re technically the same, but after her restoration – and yes, I know she was restored, I was there you know – she chose to make her first public re-appearance during Nightmare Night in the middle of the candy offering ritual. From what I know it…got messy.”

Raspberry was surprised, “You mean you weren’t here for that Nightmare Night?”

“I actually fell ill with the choke around that time, so I was bedridden during the event. I didn’t even have the strength to make a costume so I could hand out treats, my cousin Sky Skimmer had to be my caretaker as she was the only pony readily available who had had the choke before and so would be immune to catching it again. It’s a shame she was stuck tending to me, though, and not being able to come see Zecora’s show.”

Raspberry would have asked further had it not been for the sudden onset of a green mist covering everything in sight, leaving Rarity the only thing visible.

“Wha-what the…” started the red unicorn, only to be frozen in shock as the ghostly form of Nightmare Moon lept out from the mist as if to swallow her whole. She took several steps back out of surprise and fear, her magic only held at bay by Heliodor (who had remained strangely quiet during the whole thing) lightly gripping her horn harder. Taking the hint, she immediately realized that ‘Nightmare Moon’ was only a projection around Zecora, a magical puppet, about a second before the zebra dropped the disguise to give a knowing wink to the unicorn pair, then brought the puppet back up to go scare the young ponies. Raspberry had to admit, Zecora was _really_ good at scaring ponies, even though the full effect had been lost thanks to the fact she knew a thing or two about illusion spells.

“As you can see, she puts on quite the show!” laughed Rarity, good naturedly.

Suddenly, a low, guttural growl came from around the clearing, prompting the older ponies to immediately tighten the circle around the group.

“Wh-what was that?!” whimpered Fluttershy.

“Ah don’t like the sound of that…” replied Applejack, taking a stance Applebloom noted was slightly similar to that of a wolf getting ready to pounce. She shrunk back slightly, one of the few subconscious traces of Applejack’s lycanthropy reminding her of what had permanence with her own condition as a werewolf.

However, despite her initial expression of determination like everypony else, Rainbow caught something shine for the briefest of a moment from behind the statue, where nopony was looking. Lightning Dust, in her wolf form, gave a sly wink to Rainbow before taking a few pieces of candy from in front of the statue and silently bounding away into the depths of the Everfree.

“I don’t know what you all are doing, but _I_ didn’t hear anything!” mock-chided Rainbow. She immediately caught the glare from Twilight, to which she simply mouthed _Lightning Dust_. The placated alicorn was surprised to learn who it had been, but with a smile and a wink she played along.

“Yeah, it might just have been all your little pony minds imagining things.”

“B-but that had to have been a timberwolf!” exclaimed one of the fillies, with several others acting in agreement.

“What did you hear, Apple Bloom?” asked Sweetie, but in a way such that the non-Crusader ponies wouldn’t hear.

“It was definitely a wolf, but not one Ah’ve ever heard of,” the filly carefully answered.

Then a second howl sounded out, this time one Rainbow indicated to Twilight she _didn’t_ know the source of.

“Quickly, everypony, to Ponyville we must away!” shouted Zecora, immediately getting Twilight’s pantomimed message, ”To escape the wrath of Nightmare Moon without delay!”

In the ensuing chaos that was a herd of scared little ponies (who thought this was all staged and not an actual situation where they were in danger), barely held together by the older ponies, it wasn’t easy keeping track of everypony. Indeed, once they got back to Ponyville, Spike immediately pointed out a certain Daring Do villain who was consciously absent from the otherwise all-present group.

“W-where’s Apple Bloom!?” cried out Applejack, fearing the worst and practically ready to jump back into the Everfree if need be.

“We don’t know!” responded Babs for the rest of the Crusaders, “she was with us last we checked!”

“Hey, wait a second…” realized Fluttershy, “wasn’t Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon supposed to be part of the group?”

The sudden sound of Diamond Tiara screaming not too far away gave everypony a fright.

“Zecora, Applejack, Rainbow, with me!” ordered Twilight, “everypony else, you stay right here!” The princess having taken charge, she and the three others of her group galloped off to investigate.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” whined Scootaloo.

* * *

_Damn, these biscuits are really good,_ thought Lightning, who had stumbled upon several such confections just lying around in the Everfree. She’d tried to shadow the group after that unknown, second howl scared them off, but she couldn’t keep up without blowing her cover. Then she found the first treat. Having dropped the candy so she wouldn’t be hindered by them when running, she was in the mood to eat something and she eagerly popped the thing in her mouth. It was some kind of meat flavored dog biscuit, and it was _delicious_.

Then she found another one.

And another.

Turns out somepony had left them lying around all over the place. As Lightning practically gorged herself on them, it never occurred to her _why_ somepony would have done that in a place like the Everfree, she was only thinking about how delicious they were.

_Seriously need to remember to ask Dash to pick me up a few dozen bags of these_ ,said Dust in a whisper to herself as she reached for yet another treat. But her hoof stopped right above it as she heard something else moving through the woods. Darting for cover behind a large tree trunk, Dust carefully peeked her head around to see who else was there.

To her surprise, it was Apple Bloom. She looked lost, presumably having been shoved away from the main group. She was heading in the right direction of town, though, so Lightning decided to shadow her to keep off any dangers until the filly was clear of danger.

Then Apple Bloom saw one of the dog biscuits. She picked it up, sniffed it…and then ate it. Lightning was dumbfounded. Did Apple Bloom really just _eat_ a meat flavored dog treat? The answer came quickly enough as Apple Bloom eagerly hopped over to another treat and ate it as well. What was going on here?

Unfortunately, as Lightning moved closer, she made the amateur’s mistake of unknowingly stepping on a branch. The resulting snap echoed through the forest like the retort from a large bore cannon. Apple Bloom’s head snapped in the direction of the noise, looking right into Dust’s eyes. Fortunately for the green werewolf, her natural orange eyes were the only thing Apple Bloom could see, the rest of her too shrouded in darkness to be identified. Even so, Lightning subconsciously moved back to hide her cutie mark behind the tree as she took pride in it, the fact lycanthropy was taking away that part of her identity being no small part of embarrassment.

But none of that mattered, as Lighting would have willingly revealed her dark secret to Apple Bloom if it meant keeping her safe. Which was something she’d done the opposite of as Apple Bloom immediately took off in the opposite direction. At the very least, it was in the direction of Ponyville, so everything was going to be alright.

* * *

“What were you two doing in the Everfree?!” demanded Rainbow. The scream had come from Diamond alright, whereupon it was quickly discovered she’d done something in the Everfree as evidenced by the Poison Joke pollen on her hooves, the otherwise inexplicable absence of her cutie mark, and her hysterics over losing her cutie mark. She couldn’t be brought down from her hysterics, so Zecora took her to Ponyville General. But Silver was still around, her face clearly nervous and indicative she knew the truth.

“I..I…” she stammered. If she told the truth, it would be the end of everything between her and Diamond. The end of the one friendship she had. Trying to make any new friends was out of the question since she knew everpony only saw her in a bad light, the same as Diamond. She’d be all alone, but after everything she’d been through with Diamond…

“Wait, stop!” suddenly cried Rarity.

As Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, and Silver looked, the three crusaders were charging towards Silver, with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Raspberry quickly giving chase. They were not fast enough, however, to stop Babs from tackling the crippled Silver.

“Where’s my cuz!?” she demanded, giving SS a death glare while holding up Silver with her hooves, Scootaloo and Sweetie looking disdainfully at the gray bully from either side.

“B-but how-“ sputtered Silver.

“’Cuz Diamond Tiara thinks my cuz is a werewolf and I can see it in your face you think so, too, which is givin’ me a pretty good idea as to what happened!” she seethed. Silver no longer cared about werewolves at that point: the Manehatten native, who was slightly older and much larger than Silver, was a much more clear and present danger. The cast on her leg was bad enough; she didn’t need to lose another pair of glasses thanks to Tiara’s machinations.

“Diamond made me promise…” whined the bespectacled filly.

“Did you Pinkie Promise?” said Pinkie, suddenly appearing from the sky above, the means of how this was done unclear as Silver could only see a small part of Pinkie’s neck from the top of her vision.

“N-no…”

“Oh, then you probably should tell us what’s going on!” Pinkie’s tone was unsettlingly cheerful as she bounced over in line with her friends. Rarity also lit her horn, separating Silver from Babs’s ever-increasing death grip of anger.

“This better not have anythin’ to do with that dumb idea mah sister is a monster, since that’s what Ah’ve been hearin’ has been goin’ round thanks to Rich’s filly.” Angrily stated Applejack. Silver noticed the momentary reactions from the crusaders, more so Scoot and Sweetie than Babs, but it was enough to confirm to her that they’d known Apple Bloom’s secret.

Taking a deep breath, mainly to try to stop from crying, Silver was at a loss as to what to say right up until Babs stepped forward. “I think I can get her to talk, cousin Applejack.”

AJ’s eyes narrowed at the perceived implications, the other ponies sans Raspberry readying their wings or magic or what-have-they to stop the expected fight if need be.

Babs just rolled her eyes. “It’s not going to end up like that! Just let me have a quick, private moment with Silver here, me along with Scootaloo and Sweetie, and we’ll get this sorted out.”

A curt, but impatient nod from Applejack got the other ponies to stand down, with Babs hauling Silver behind a corner, Scoot and Sweetie following. The moment they were out of hearing range, Babs pinned Silver with her back to the wall. “What did you do?”

The fear was evident in Silver’s eyes, the gray filly knew that much, but surprisingly she could see that behind the anger in the eyes of the Crusaders, they too had fear. Concern, worry, trepidation, all those kinds of emotions which indicated they cared about Apple Bloom despite the truth. And much more than Diamond Tiara, who had been single-minded in her approach to getting Apple Bloom into trouble. Only then did Silver realize the entire scope of the plan still wasn’t evident to her, which couldn’t mean anything good for anypony.

“Please, I’ll talk! Just…just answer one or two things for me, okay?” begged Silver, the tears starting to come out.

Scoot tapped Babs, indicating the larger filly should let her victim go. Babs did so, reluctantly, but at least eased off so Silver wouldn’t land on her bad leg too hard.

“Th-thanks…”gasped Silver. She knew she was fast approaching the point of no return, but without Diamond being around, the strength to defy the spoiled brat was slightly easier for Silver to muster up. “I just need to know…is it true? Is Apple Bloom a werewolf?”

Several tense moments of silence followed, after which to Silver’s surprise Babs spoke up again. “Yes.”

“A-and did she do that thing that one night?”

“Yeah, she did,” Sweetie confirmed. “She didn’t mean any _real_ harm from it, though, and she felt really bad about what happened afterwards. It wasn’t supposed to make Diamond hate her, or us, more than usual.”

Then Scoot jumped in. “But she’s _not_ a mindless monster. She’s still the same pony, even if she isn’t exactly totally a pony anymore. Heck, she doesn’t _want_ to be a werewolf, but there’s no cure, so she’s stuck having to keep it a secret.”

“The Crusaders were the only ones who knew. Even then because I’m family to her, it took time for me to be let in on the secret,” Babs added, with a shrug.

Silver took her time formulating a response. She knew that with every second she wasted, it was a second used up in delaying any rescue attempts for Apple Bloom. But for all that Silver desperately valued her friendship with Diamond Tiara, if it could even be called friendship at that point, it was clear that in order to maintain that relationship, Silver would play accomplice to whatever horrors Apple Bloom might have been going through that second, having kept the much stronger friendships Apple Bloom had from being able to help her in this time of greatest need.

“Okay, I’ll explain to everypony what’s happened,” Silver Finally agreed, “but promise me one thing, okay?”

“What?” grunted Babs.

“Please…don’t hate me after this.”

“And why not?” challenged Scootaloo, “after all you and Diamond have done to us? After whatever you’re keeping everypony away from except Apple Bloom?”

“You need to understand…Diamond is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a true friend, but after this…after I say what I’m going to say…I’m burning the bridges between her and I. There’s going to be nopony left who will want to associate with me after I betray her aside from my parents. I don’t want to be alone, but…I can’t stand by Tiara any longer. So please, after all is said and done, don’t hate me. I have enough regrets as it is.”

“Silver…” began Sweetie, “what you’re doing is right. And if there’s anything I’ve learned from my sister being an Element Bearer, it’s that friendship can be found wherever you look. You just need to try. But right now we need to know where Apple Bloom is and what exactly you and Tiara did before it’s too late!”

“Right!” With newfound vigor having come from the most unexpected of places, Silver walked out from behind the corner wall. Followed by the crusaders, she walked with a confidence she hadn’t felt in years. She could only hope her change of heart was in time.

* * *

Apple Bloom stood there, frozen in place, as she looked on in horror at the thing before her. It was a ghostly apparition of some green mare, two-tone mane and hair of sky blue and yellow, but the conveyed feeling of spring was overwhelmed by the unnatural aspects brought on by the spirit being a werewolf. The cutie mark, which was of two hills framing something that couldn’t be seen from a distance due to the fading, was unsettlingly at odds with how it seemed to be calm and peaceful, compared to the gaze of the glowing pink eyes at the head of the beast.

Worst of all, however, was the fact the thing in front of Apple Bloom vaguely looked like Applejack. Which could only mean one thing.

“Y-y-you’re…” stuttered Apple Bloom, slowly taking a step back, “…you’re F-fair Vi-vista…”

“At least you know of me, that saves me the trouble of introducing myself,” replied the undead werewolf, casually stepping forward to maintain the same distance between her and the filly at all times, “That actually is quite a relief, since you probably have a good idea of how hard it would to explain it in terms your little head would understand.”

“B-but how? You’re d-dead!”

Vista rolled her eyes. “I noticed.”

Apple Bloom’s progress backwards was halted by her hindleg hitting the base roots of a large tree directly behind her. While she wasn’t totally cornered, trying to dart off to either side would just leave her open to whatever the ghost was here to do. “W-whatdy’a want from me?”

“It’s actually quite simple, really,” Vista said, flipping her mane to the other side of her neck with a swift head snap, “Your sister, Applejack, killed Sable Loam on top of my grave. I don’t know how or why I have come back, nor how you managed to be blessed with lycanthropy unless Applejack bit you as well, though I highly doubt it, but all things happen for a purpose.”

“Ah’m not exactly seein’ your point…”

“Oh for…do I really have to spell it out for you?!”

“Yes.” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but smile as the undead werewolf facehoofed in irritation at how stubborn she was being.

“I’m dead, you’re not, and we’re both werewolves.” Vista growled, her patience having worn thin, “obviously, you’re supposed to be my new body.”

“Wait, what?!” shouted Apple Bloom, shocked at the not-really-that-clear conclusion Vista seemed to have come to.

“Well, I know enough about my state that I can’t last like this forever, so I need a host body. As it stands, you’re the only werewolf left alive, so I don’t exactly have a choice, do I?”

In a split second, Vista then lunged at the frozen Apple Bloom, the ghost then realizing she didn’t really know how the whole possession thing was supposed to work. That problem quickly became irrelevant when an aquamarine blur shot out in a perpendicular direction and shoved Apple Bloom out of the way. All Vista hit was the displaced red hat the filly had been wearing, before slamming face first into the tree in front of her. Contrary to expectations, Fair Vista had discovered that she could solidify her form temporarily to interact with the physical world, limited to only a few seconds but better than nothing. That said, she probably shouldn’t have made herself subject to the mortal realm’s forces when going after Apple Bloom, for just as she could affect the world in those few seconds, it could affect her. Painfully.

Off to the side, Apple Bloom was even more horrified. Her rescuer had been _another werewolf_. Except this one was actually alive. She’d been lucky enough to avoid possession, but that had been luck, which might really have been bad luck as this new werewolf was a _Pegasus_ , which meant she was even faster than anything Apple Bloom could expect. Then she recognized the colors of the werewolf, they were the same as the one pegasus who had ended up trying to pick a fight with Applejack and lost.

“L-Lightning Dust?” uttered Apple Bloom, unable to manage anything louder than a whisper.

“I’ll explain later!” said Dust, not wanting to waste any more time. Flaring her wings, she quickly hovered up and effortlessly righted the filly. “Just run! Go! Get out of here!” Whoever that ghost pony/werewolf thing was, it was already recovering from the impact and Dust wasn’t going to let it have a second chance at Apple Bloom.

“But what about you?” asked Apple Bloom, worried about what her rescuer intended to do.

“Don’t worry about me, just **GO**!” half-screamed, half-barked Dust, her amber eyes aglow in the moonlight. Apple Bloom didn’t need to hear anything else, she just took off running without really knowing where she was going. Anyplace and anything would be better to deal with than her undead ancestor trying to steal her body.

Dust made sure Apple Bloom was safely away from the immediate area before turning her attention to the ghost, now recovered. “I don’t know who the hay you are, but I’m not going to let you turn her into the same kind of freak I am!”

Vista expressed surprise, and then strangely laughed. “You couldn’t tell? Or even hear that part of our conversation? I don’t need to give her the gift of lycanthropy, she already has it!”

“What?!” replied Dust, not quite able to grasp the idea Apple Bloom also was a werewolf. Then it hit her; Apple Bloom was eating the dog treats for the same reason Dust had. She liked the taste of meat.

That was also the time Vista chose to solidify again and rushed headlong into Dust, body-checking the pegasus into another tree and causing her head to snap back, hitting the trunk hard enough to knock her out cold.

“You’re a disgrace to our kind, bitch!” growled Vista, “but, fortunately for both of us, you are a far better choice as a host then that filly, and I must admit I’ve always wondered what it’s like to have wings.” Try as she might, however, she couldn’t seem to possess the winged werewolf.

Vista couldn’t understand why, she’d felt like she could easily have possessed Apple Bloom, but this pegasus she was unfamiliar with wasn’t giving off the same feeling. Maybe it had something to do with physical compatibility? Being an earth pony ghost, maybe the only kind of pony she could possess was other earth ponies?

“Either way…” muttered Vista, walking over to sniff the hat. The scent of its owner was still ripe, and easily trackable no matter where the filly went. “…the hunt begins again!”

* * *

“Castle Everfree?!” half-shouted the gathered ponies in reaction to what Silver was saying.

“That’s what Tiara told me, that she was going to put out a trail of do-uh, I mean, delicious treats and candies and such in a path that would lure her away from the group and on a path leading towards the ruins.”

“But that’s impossible!” argued Rainbow, “we’ve been there dozens of times for so many different reasons, there’s no way Diamond could have secretly placed a trail all the way from the Nightmare Night trail to the ruins, even without leaving the candy the time she’d need to make a round trip simply is too much!”

“Well, maybe she only did it part way, I only remember something about how ‘the ghost’ would meet her halfway.”

“The ‘ghost’? Seriously?” said Scootaloo, incredulously, “you’re not talking about what I think you’re talking about, are you? Everypony knows that-“

“That the story is completely made up?” snapped Silver, turning to face Scoots, “Yeah, I know that everypony knows that, so did Tiara. Everypony also knows Nightmare Moon doesn’t exist anymore now that Princess Luna is back, still doesn’t mean we don’t go to that stupid statue in the middle of the woods at night to give tribute! The whole thing is a sham, doesn’t meant we don’t still get scared of it!”

“You have a point, Silver,” said Rarity, “but what is this ‘ghost’ you speak of? Surely it’s not the one about the-“

“No, it’s not _that_ ghost, Apple Bloom wouldn’t randomly follow some spirit deeper into the Everfree. As dumb as Tiara says the Crusaders are-“ she winced at the imagined glares the three present Crusaders were giving her, although in reality they weren’t doing such a thing – “she gives Apple Bloom that much credit for smarts.”

“Then what ghost are you talking about?” demanded Applejack, “mah sister is in danger because of you and Tiara, and while Ah appreciate you wantin’ to fix this mess Ah’d like to get to the point so we can get to the savin’ part!”

Silver took a deep breath, expecting everypony to look at her stupidly for what she was about to say. “Diamond somehow ended up in contact with some ghost – a real one- of somepony named Fair Vista. Claimed she was a werewolf or something.” The immediate increase in the tension within the assembled ponies told Silver that what she said hadn’t been stupid, only that the situation was even _far_ worse than she’d expected.

“W-who did you say the ghost was?” stammered Applejack, having paled to the point she looked like the wonderbolt Surprise in coloration.

“Fair Vista, I-“ Silver repeated, but was suddenly grabbed by Applejack who brought her muzzle close to Silver’s.

“You’re sayin’ the ghost of somepony named Fair Vista, who claims to be a werewolf, was workin’ with Diamond Tiara, and Apple Bloom is right now in the Everfree with that monster!?”

“Y-yes?” whined Silver.

Applejack immediately dropped Silver, her emerald eyes wide but pupils almost pin-point tiny in fear. “I-impossible…”

The reactions of the other ponies was just as shocked. Except Raspberry, who after a consulting look with Heliodor still didn’t know what was going on. “I…take it this Fair Vista is a pretty bad pony?”

Applejack suddenly shot a look loaded with anger and hatred right at Raspberry, “That haridelle is the reason mah parents died! She and that bastard Sable Loam!” She immediately apologized to Raspberry for the outburst when the unicorn was evidently close to tears. It was another unicorn, however, whose reaction to the revelation would change everything.

“Wait…didn’t Apple Bloom say something about Sable Loam back at the tent when she…y’know?” whispered Sweetie to the other Crusaders. Silver seemed to gravitate over to the little grouping, but was stopped by Sweetie. “What do you think you’re doing? Haven’t you done enough?”

“Hey, give me a break, I could have told them Apple Bloom was a werewolf too, but she saved my life after the water tower thing, so I’m trying to help her out as much as I can, which I’m guessing also means letting you girls know what I know.”

“Like what?” asked Babs.

“Fair Vista liked to talk, hype herself up. Diamond ate it all up, I didn’t but in truth I was just a goon in the equation. Tiara and Vista were the ones running the show. But I did listen to her. She mentioned something about how she and somepony named Sable Loam had been the last ‘true’ werewolves or something, and that she was going to make Applejack pay for killing her lover.”

“Her _lover?!”_ said the Crusaders in hushed unison.

“Yeah, I didn’t think things would get this bad, so I didn’t really pay much attention to what she was saying, but this whole thing…she wants revenge on Applejack through Apple Bloom somehow.”

“WHAT?!” squealed Sweetie, her face twisted in rage and attracting the attention of everypony, “You’re saying that right now Apple Bloom is possibly in the clutches of some undead pony monster thing because of some convoluted revenge plot?! One that you helped execute?!”

Silver couldn’t even look the other fillies in the eye, drooping her head down in shame. “Yes.”

**“AAARRGHH!!”**

Rarity, trying to calm her sister down, moved forward, “Now, now, Sweetie, I’m sure everything will be-“

“No, it’s not!” snapped back Sweetie, turning on her sister in blind rage, “Yes, it’s Silver and Tiara’s fault for setting this thing up, but we’re Apple Bloom’s friends and we failed to even keep track of her when she actually needed us the most! I…just… **AAAAAHHH**!” Sweetie was out of control, so much that she couldn’t stop herself from reaching up to remove her crown and throwing it down on the ground with as much force as she could muster.

The impact was enough to break off the large diamond in the middle, sending it careening off in a direction different to the now-not-quite-round headpiece it once adorned. It shortly thereafter came to a stop in front of Spike.

Everything from that point on happened so fast that barely anypony knew what was going on. Spike, having starved himself all night, couldn’t resist something as delicious looking as that diamond, impulsively snatched it up in one fell swoop to deliver it in his mouth. He could only give an apologetic look in response to the disapproving looks everypony, especially Twilight, was giving him, but when his teeth made the first fracture into the diamond, his expression quickly turned from embarrassed to panicked.

Twilight immediately grabbed the dragon in her magic and began to perform the Haymlich maneuver. After a few thrusts, the remains of the diamond were launched out of his mouth and right in the direction of the fillies, unintentionally. At first, they landed well short of Silver, the closest to Spike at the time, but then they suddenly lost their bright clarity, the beautiful pearly-white clarity fading into the illustrious shine of black obsidian. Nopony could even think about how to describe the change in color, though, they all took a large number of steps back as the shards suddenly _grew_ into somewhat sizable crystal formations, large enough to tower over even Twilight, before they just abruptly stopped.

“Wh-what?!” shrieked Silver, who had accidently tripped and fell on her back, having had to crawl backwards to avoid the growths. “Are..are those _dark crystals?!_ ”

“B-but that…” started Rarity, “that was an authentic, pure diamond, not a forgery! Wasn’t it, Raspberry?”

Only, when everypony turned to look at where Raspberry had been, she and Heliodor had vanished. On the ground were the tell-tale signs of an emergency teleport spell, along with a small number of droplets of something on the ground. Rarity realized that the droplets were what were left of teardrops. But she could not be sure if they had been Raspberry Beryl's, at least not the one she and the others had come to know so well, as Raspberry’s magic couldn’t have handled the raw power necessary for emergency teleportation.

Unless, like the diamond, Raspberry Beryl had only been what others would see, and what was really behind the external facade was something not meant for normal ponies to ever know.


	43. Book2 Ch.18 Give Her Something Sweet to Bite!

Rise of the Furball Chapter 18: “Give Her Something Sweet to Bite!”

This was turning out to be one crummy night for Apple Bloom. Here she was on the scariest night of the year, running for her life from her evil great great great great great great great grandmother who was trying to possess her, Lightning Dust probably had heard enough to deduce Bloomie was a werewolf herself, her Carmine Sancaballo costume was both hatless and slowing her down, she had no idea where she was running, and worst of all she hadn’t had a single piece of candy so far.

“This Nightmare Night _sucks!”_ she declared, running as hard as she could through the Everfree. Fortunately, there was at least a path through the forest she’d encountered that appeared well traveled, so that was what she was following. She hoped it would lead her to town or to Zecora’s; the former being someplace the ghost of Fair Vista couldn’t get her while the latter was at least a place to hide until search parties found her. Granted, the latter strategy only worked in the event Zecora’s totems actually kept out ghosts as she claimed they did.

Suddenly, the red trenchcoat caught on a thick briar, Apple Bloom’s momentum propelling her into a sideways spin while simultaneously flinging her out of the covering. Coming to a stop a few yards away, her precious lead time was eroding as she stumbled around in a daze. She managed to shake it off, but when she looked up her eyes locked onto the full moon.

Her mind having gone numb for some reason, she barely registered herself quickly removing the boots as they were the last things covering her body. With them off and discarded to the side, there was nothing to stop her from revealing her wild side and calling out to the moon.

**“AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”**  
  
That’s when her eyes went wide, for as she slowly regained control of herself, she realized that her howl might as well have caused the moon to shoot a spotlight that tracked her, as Fair Vista would easily be able to ascertain Apple Bloom’s location from the sound.

“Oh, me and mah big, stupid werewolf mouth!” she complained while turning tail and continuing down the path. At the very least she was going considerably faster now she was a creature of the night itself, but unless she came across someplace safe, Vista would eventually catch up to her.

She did not expect, upon cresting a small hill in front of her, for there to be a sudden drop off that gave a magnificent view. An old, rickety rope bridge crossed an otherwise endless chasm, and on the other side of that bridge lay the ruins of Castle Everfree and what remained of the former Equestriani capital.

There wasn’t much time for Apple Bloom to admire the view, however, as she suddenly felt the presence of something. She couldn’t define what it was with the presence that made her fur stand up on end, maybe it was Fair Vista, but at the same time it was different.

Either way, Apple Bloom knew her only chance at escape lay within the ancient keep, so she charged headlong over the old bridge, praying that there was some safety in what had been the cradle of Nightmare Moon herself.

* * *

Apple Bloom’s howl was heard all the way to Ponyville, where not a single soul escaped a brief shudder. Slightly closer to the castle ruins was the small group of friends from Ponyville, and they too did not take hearing the howl well as they charged forth on their rescue mission.

“W-was that…?” stammered Fluttershy.

“It wasn’t Dust, I know that much…” answered Dash, before realizing not everypony present was in on _that_ pleasant little secret, either.

“Did you just say ‘Dust’?” inquired Rarity, pressing her attack as the normally outspoken Rainbow seemed to be getting anxious about something, “As in Lightning Dust? The same Lightning Dust who came to town looking like five hundred miles of bad road and brazenly challenged Applejack to a race because of you-know-who?”

“Y-yes…” was all the wonderbolt-hopeful could manage, knowing full well what was going to happen now.

“And, going off of you saying it _wasn’t_ Dust who let out that howl, which implies she _does_ howl now for some reason, am I correct in assuming that she’s a-“

“Yes, she’s a werewolf, like Ah was,” summarized Applejack, though her primary focus was on ending Fair Vista and through her, the nightmare Sable Loam seemed intent on subjecting her to even after his death.

“Then why didn’t we know about it?!” argued Pinkie, not happy that her friends had been keeping secrets from her again.

“Because that’s what she wanted, Pinkie,” explained Dash. “Initially, it was just Applejack, but I ended up privy to the information when I intercepted her in the air, thinking she was going to cause more trouble.”

“And they brought her to me because, honestly, if there was anypony who would know what to do, it was me,” added Twilight. “Unfortunately, all I could do was just observe and try to find a cure, but I only ended up making it worse somewhat by…well, I actually don’t want to talk about it.”

“Actually, I think she’s happier for it, Twilight,” Fluttershy added. “The old system we came up for Applejack back when she was a werewolf is working just fine for her, mainly just me making meatburgers to keep her hunger pangs at bay, but-”

“Now hold on a second!” exclaimed Rarity. “I can understand why this information was withheld from Pinkie and I, but even then we’ve seen what happens to us when we keep secrets from each other.”

“This is _not_ the time for that, Rarity!” chided Rainbow, “I think rescuing Apple Bloom takes precedence over something as trivial as a little secret!”

“A little secret?! You’re telling me that there being another werewolf, a known troublemaker we’ve all had prior encounters with and now potentially could attack us all with ease, is a _little_ secret?!”

“Considering I’ve been letting her crash on my couch for the past few weeks, I think I can safely say ‘yes’ to that.”

* * *

Apple Bloom felt her luck couldn’t get any worse. She’d reached the outskirts of the ruins, but to her dismay they were in such a bad state that they offered no real opportunities to hide from the monster who had suddenly appeared right behind Apple Bloom.

“I hope you do realize the harder you make this, the more fun it is for me…” taunted Fair Vista, emerging from the shadows and almost disappearing when she came into the presence of the moon light. “Like I said, you can’t hope to outrun me anyway; I’m dead! The physical constraints of flesh and bone no longer apply to me, so in the end you never had a ghost of a chance!” She laughed at the pun. Apple Bloom just groaned and rolled her eyes.

However, as Apple Bloom did so, for a split second she thought she saw a momentary flash of fire. _Green_ fire. Either tonight was going to get even worse because changelings had gotten involved, or maybe there was the possibility of escape after all.

“You can’t chase what you can’t see!” yelled back the filly as she dashed away into the maze of ruins. Fair Vista did have to give the little shit some credit, this was the kind of thing that the best werewolves had been known for. The attitude still needed major fixing, though.

That didn’t matter, though, as suddenly a green bird made its presence known to her by laying down a carpet of emerald fire. Even though it couldn’t physically harm her, she still instinctively dived for cover, cursing herself for being that silly as she glared at the bird. The green phoenix let out a fearsome cry as it banked into a loose curve and began to circle her position, readying another wave of fire.  
  
 _Where have I seen you before?_ wondered Vista as she tried to get back on track of catching Apple Bloom. She’d seen the bird before, she just couldn’t place it. The energy shield she bumped into, however, she remembered all too well.

As was the cloaked pony waiting just on the other side. The horn, lit up with dark magic, the glowing blood-red eyes, and that cloak covering most of the discernable features, it was the same mysterious pony from before. Vista once again found herself in fear of this unknown pony, but she reasoned that Apple Bloom couldn’t have come this way either because of the same fear.

But when Vista immediately turned and ran towards the center of the old capital to hunt her prey, she chanced a look back and found the cloaked pony was now actively following her. To say the pressure on Vista’s mind had just gone up was an understatement, especially when the perusing pony fired some kind of magic beam at Vista. She narrowly dodged it, not looking back to see what kind of damage it did, her mind deadest on self-preservation.

* * *

“Ah!” exclaimed Apple Bloom, as she felt something grasp her hind leg and drag her into one of the few fully enclosed structures left at the ruins. To her surprise, she found her “captor” was none other than Raspberry Beryl.

“M-Miss Raspberry?!” exclaimed Apple Bloom, stunned, before Raspberry quickly put a hoof over her muzzle, making a “shhh” noise. The filly nodded, prompting Beryl to remove her hoof. It then occurred to Apple Bloom that she was still in wolf form, but Razz hadn’t freaked out.

“Surprised?” said Raspberry in a whisper, as if she knew what Apple Bloom was thinking. “I…I’ve had my suspicions for some time about you. The aura you gave off when I first came close to you gave me some inclination, but this…” She was interrupted by the young mare immediately drawing herself to Raspberry in a tight hug. “There, there, the others are coming but…I’ll protect you.”

“But h-how? You can’t defend against ghosts!”

A beam of light suddenly shot in through an opening in the weathered wall, nearly making contact with the duo.

“I don’t think the ghost is of concern right now,” said Raspberry, as at that moment Fair Vista raced in front of what was left of the structure’s main doorway, clearly oblivious to her prey being close by. The reason for that also made itself clear, with the cloaked pony and its raging dark magic aura following the apparition a few moments later. Then Heliodor swooped in the doorway and tweeted something, but Apple Bloom didn’t understand. Razz did, though. “Heelee says there’s a safer spot a few blocks to the west, we should move.”

“Alright. But you’re sure mah sister and her friends are comin’?”

“Yeah…” answered Razz, her tone indicating to Apple Bloom that the unicorn wasn’t exactly enthusiastic of reuniting with that group anytime soon, “I’m certain they are”.

* * *

“Lightning! **LIGHTNING!** ”

Dust groggily woke up, her head hurting like nopony’s business. Cracking her eyes open, she saw Rainbow standing over her with worry, the five other ponies she was known to hang out with standing around although Applejack was clearly extremely antsy. It still wasn’t enough to make Dust not make an obvious joke.

“What, are ya gonna kiss me now, Dashie?”

“Oh for…” groaned Rainbow, “at least _that_ proved you’re fine.”

“Yes, if you can consider being a werewolf a ‘fine’ predicament,” commented Rarity.

Applejack snapped back, “Rares, were ya like this the whole time Ah was a lycanthrope?”

“Well, no, but-“

“But nothin’! She’s been havin’ a harder time then Ah was back then, though to be honest Ah’d have to say she’s been dealin’ with it a lot better than Ah was, too.”

“…You’re right, Applejack,” Rarity conceded. “Saying that was disrespectful to both you and Lightning Dust. I do apologize.”

“Focus, girls!” said Twilight, before turning to Lightning. “What happened?”

“I’m sure Rainbow already told you about me trying to help out with the whole ‘ritual’ thing, right?”

“Um…” mumbled the blue flyer, her face blanching somewhat.

“She told me, or at least let me know it was you that first time,” replied the alicorn, giving the rest of her friends an ‘I’ll explain later’ look, “But we need to know what happened, which I’m guessing has to do with that second howl we heard”

“Yeah, that,” answered Dust. “When the group started running from that second howl, I tried to shadow you guys so that whatever it was, I could at the very least try to keep it from attacking the kids. Didn’t get the chance, since I couldn’t keep up without giving my presence away, but I kept on going anyway. I eventually found Apple Bloom wandering on her own, probably because she accidently got pushed to the side in the madness and was disoriented.”

“Yeah, then what happened?”

“I followed her for a while, she was heading in the right direction to town fortunately so I thought it best to not make myself known to her at the time.” Dust had forgotten the whole bit about the random dog treats lying around that both she and Apple Bloom had eaten, as had the six from Ponyville forgotten Silver saying something about how Apple Bloom was to be lured by ‘treats’ left along a trail. “But then all of a sudden this ghost showed up. I know it’s stupid sounding but-“

“Fair Vista…” said Applejack, her whole body slightly trembling.

“Wait, you know her?”

“Remember Sable Loam? The werewolf who had turned me? The whole reason he’d gone for me was so Ah would be his replacement mate, originally it was Twilight but-“

“What?!” exclaimed Twilight, her wings flaring up in reaction and Spike, not strong enough to prevent it, was launched into the air only to be caught on the return fall by Rainbow, “He told you this all the way back then and only _now_ do you mention it?!”

“Ah didn’t think you needed to know! He only wanted you at all since making you the mother of his new werewolf pack or whatever would have been as close to a direct attack on Celestia as possible, since she killed Fair Vista by mistake.”

“Let me guess,” said Dust, “he changed his mind and went for you because he found you attractive? I did notice the ghost sort of looked like a green, hatless version of you.”

“Yeah, turned out that bitch is actually some ancestor of mine, back eight generations on mah mom’s side accordin’ to Granny, it’s her immunity to the later stages of lycanthropy that probably kept me sane in the end.”

“Yeah, thanks for reminding me,” scowled Lightning.

“Uh, sorry, Ah’ll make it up to you later, but right now we need to get Apple Bloom! Do you know where she went?”

“Well, I remember they talked for a bit, then Vista lept at Apple Bloom as if to attack, but I managed to shove Apple Bloom out of the way in time. I told her to run the hell away, then…then Vista said something to me that caused my guard to be let down just enough for her to rush me into that tree. I must have hit my head pretty hard, since the next thing I know Rainbow’s trying to-“

“-resist beating you up within an inch of your life?” finished the pegasus in question. “We’re done joking around here, Dust, we _need_ to get to Apple Bloom before Vista does!”

“Oh, right! Sorry! Um…I didn’t actually see which way Apple Bloom went, but…” Getting up, Lighting walked over to the discarded hat still lying on the ground. “…her scent is still strong, give me a second and-“

Another howl sounded out, this time it’s location unmistakable to both the werewolf and the ex-werewolf.

“They’re at the ruins!” shouted Applejack, subsequently noticing the odd looks everypony was giving her, “look, Ah howled there mahself a few times back when Ah was a werewolf, it’s a great spot to do it.”

“More importantly, we know where to go!” said Lightning, flaring her wings.

“Oh, no!” Rainbow flew in front of her former ex-wingpony, “You’re in no condition to go, especially not alone!”

“What are you talking about? I only hit my head, normally that’s not a problem anyway since I’m thick-skulled naturally and the princess told me werewolves have a faster healing rate, right?”

“Um, that’s correct…” sheepishly replied Twilight.

“See? The princess said I’m good to go. Plus, if that ghost can physically harm me, think about what she can do to the rest of you. She bites me? I just get a bloody wound that heals up somewhat faster than normal. She bits _one of you?_ Well, you get the wound, and then you turn into what I am, and I think Applejack is in agreement with me that being a werewolf _sucks_.”

“Darn tootin’!”

Rainbow facehoofed. “Okay, I get it; the best counter to a werewolf is a werewolf, but…but damn it Dust, we’re practically wingponies again, except much more than we ever were back at the academy. I _can’t_ let you rush headlong into danger, especially not when you just described how that didn’t work out for you.”

“Rainbow…” Dust put a paw on Dash’s shoulder, “you guys will be coming, anyway, but it’s better that I take a few blows such that Apple Bloom is safe, instead of all of us going as a group only to find her dead. Or _worse_.”

All the rest of the group other than Dash and Dust expressed their agreement.

“Besides!” Lightning boosted herself into the air, “that ghost clearly needs some help to rest in peace. _Permanently_.” With that, she shot off into the sky and towards the castle ruins.

“Well come on, then!” shouted Rainbow, “We can’t keep her waiting when she gets there!”

“Keep who waiting, Apple Bloom or Dustie?” chirped Pinkie, who didn’t seem to have paid any attention to the majority of the just finished discussion.

“Both of ‘em!” answered Applejack, who immediately surged forward with great speed towards Castle Everfree, her friends following suit. They could only hope it was not too late.

* * *

The situation at Castle Everfree had quickly deteriorated, which Fair Vista didn’t like. Here she was, trying to chase down that little shit Apple Bloom so she could have a physical body and, hopefully, carry out Sable Loam’s desires to resurrect the werewolves. Now the filly was accompanied by that spineless gem seller, Burpleberry Viral or something. The only way anypony from town could have possibly have known where to go was if one of the two fillies Vista had been working with, Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon, had fessed up. Vista figured the latter, she hadn’t seemed totally trustworthy from the start and was only kept in check by Tiara’s boisterous nature. If anything had happened to Tiara, which was unfortunately likely considering the chain of failures in the town, Silver would have grown a conscience and told everypony. Probably would have kept Apple Bloom’s lycanthropy a secret too, in the hopes maybe karma would be nice to her about the matter. Vista intended to prove otherwise when she got the chance.

However, none of that answered why it was the useless gem merchant who had come to the rescue and not, say, Applejack or one of the former element bearers, especially that loathsome newly crowned princess, Twilight Sparkle. Even though the green phoenix above her kept on with its intent to try and roast her to a crisp (which, while she could feel the heat, obviously didn’t affect her when she wasn’t phased in with reality).

And more worrisome than _that_ was that damnable mysterious pony in the cloak, who seemed just as tireless as she was. Maybe it was the dark magic, but as Vista narrowly dodged another blast of dark magic, there wasn’t really time to wonder about that kind of thing. Not until Apple Bloom was hers.

“Just leave me alone!” cried Apple Bloom, leaping through the remains of a wall while the mulberry unicorn accompanying her nearly tripped over herself in vaulting over it.

“Stop trying to avoid your destiny, your body _will be mine_!” screamed the ghost, who was getting real sick and tired of being in the middle of the chase and the only losing party. Especially when she was being outdone by a pony who nearly defecated the first time she’d seen Vista. That wouldn’t fly with the werewolf, who grinned evilly as the plan of attack to take out said unicorn suddenly came into mind. As her quarry rounded a bend, Vista suddenly bolted to the side and disappeared through a wall.

* * *

“Do…do you think we lost her?” gasped Apple Bloom, who felt like she’d been running nonstop for hours to the point even her supernatural endurance was reaching its limits.

“I can…only…hope!” wheezed Raspberry, who had somehow managed to last running almost just as long as Apple Bloom even though unicorns were the least athletic of the three pony subspecies.

Heliodor circled above, his cawing letting Raspberry know he’d lost sight of the ghost. At the same time, the cloaked pony seemed to take a position behind a nearby wall, as if perpetually ready to attack.

“Who’s that?” asked the filly lycanthrope, instinctively moving closer to Raspberry. Whether it was to be protected by, or defend, the unicorn wasn’t quite clear to her.

“She’s…she’s a friend of mine,” carefully answered Raspberry. “I’ve known her for a while. Doesn’t talk much, but she’s taken a few blows for me in the past to help me out of a jam.”

“Really? Why hasn’t she come to town? Pinkie’s gonna be real upset if she finds out and can’t throw a party for her.”

“It’s…difficult to explain. She only shows up when there’s danger, since it tends to follow her anyway. Normally she likes to be alone, other ponies don’t really…understand who she is. They fear her, because they misunderstand.”

“Like how everypony but me was afraid of Zecora way back when?”

“I…wasn’t there for that.”

“Oh, right, erm…okay, when your friend shows up, do ponies run into their homes like there’s a flood comin’?”

Raspberry took surprisingly long to answer, sounding downcast when she did.

“Worse.”

“Oh.” Was all Apple Bloom could say. Silence followed for a few minutes until the werewolf chose to break it, “Does…does your friend have a name?”

“Yes, but she prefers to be called something other than her real name.”

“What is it?”

“It’s…” Razz took a deep breath, wondering if Apple Bloom would understand what she was about to say, “Her name is-“  
  
 **“DEATH!”**

In an instant, Vista virtually flew out of the wall behind Raspberry and, choosing that moment to phase into the physical world, clamped her jaws tightly around the unicorn’s throat. She let go a good minute later, but as far as she could tell the unicorn’s injuries were fatal as the blood poured from the punctured jugular, the body twitching in its death throes. There was no chance she’d get immediate medical attention, so the only two possible outcomes were actual death, or she’d begin her transformation into a werewolf.

Curiously, the unknown pony, whose name Razz had almost revealed, _didn’t_ instantly throw burning orbs of dark magic at the ghost. Instead, it just… _vanished_. As if its entire existence suddenly was wiped from reality, the form inside the cloak disappeared, leaving the covering to slowly drift to the ground atop a pile of black diamond pebbles. Neither werewolf noticed, however, as they were too busy with each other.

“Y-you killed her!” wailed Apple Bloom, her mind wanting to start running away but her legs frozen in fear.

“Nopony’s going to miss her, except maybe that dumb phoenix,” said Vista, the taste of blood having reignited her murderous side; the fact said phoenix was noticeably not within her vision completely ignored. “Don’t worry, she still has a chance at getting better…as one of us. Or she’ll actually die, which isn’t a big loss.”

“H-how can you be a pony and say such things?!”

“You’ll learn, in time, but ponies are _weak_ things. They worship false goddesses who they blindly follow without knowing why, they have lost the way. But we’re going to fix that. Well, actually, just me, but you’ll be helping on the physical front.”

“N-No! Never!”

“Oh, but it’s just begun!”

Vista immediately shot forward, giving no time for Apple Bloom to react. However, phasing into reality only proved detrimental once again as a wall of dark crystal burst from the ground between the werewolves. For Apple Bloom, it was almost déjà vu in being saved from one evil by another, but almost immediately three more dark crystal walls formed around her, forming an enclosed cell from which she couldn’t escape.

Vista was furious, it had to be the work of the mysterious pony, but when she saw the cloak crumpled on the ground she had no time to realize the facts before being broadsided by a blast of raw dark power.

“You know, ‘death’ wasn’t _exactly_ what I was going to say…” said Raspberry, who, to the horror of the quickly recovering Vista, was slowly _getting to her feet_ , the blood that had been spilled forming dark crystals on the ground. “…although I will admit in your case it’s an acceptable answer.”

“Well, what _were_ you going to say?” taunted Vista, although her heart wasn’t in it.

Now fully erect, with her green phoenix swooping low out of nowhere to perch on Apple Bloom’s prison, Raspberry’s head snapped upwards. Gone was the timid gem seller Vista had seen before, for now it was Raspberry’s horn that was raging with the dark, bubbling mass of forbidden powers, her eyes overflowing with green-and-purple mist. While Fair Vista herself had made a quick recovery all those years ago when she allowed Sable to turn her, the ghostly lycanthrope somehow knew that this unicorn had escaped a fatal wounding to her jugular... _without_ having contracted lycanthropy herself. Now Vista was truly scared, for she realized she'd underestimated this unicorn more than she'd ever underestimated anypony before.

Then, with a voice sounding more akin to Nightmare Moon or some other evil power, Raspberry Beryl answered the werewolf who had tried to kill her:

“Truth.”

**Author's Note:**

You may all wet your pants in terror now.


	44. Book2 Ch.19 Shattered Illusion

Rise of the Furball Chapter 19: “Shattered Illusion”

  


The sounds of battle raged outside the crystal walls forming Apple Bloom’s prison. The poor filly, trapped within, didn’t know what to make of the situation. Fair Vista had managed to deal a fatal blow to Raspberry Beryl, condemning the unicorn to either becoming a werewolf herself or outright death, but Apple Bloom didn’t know which had been the gem seller’s fate as almost immediately after she had been confined to this small space. The only clue to which condemnation was chosen for Razz was Heliodor, the phoenix oddly doing nothing but perching atop one of the walls and facing away from Apple Bloom.

“He…Heliodor?” called up the frightened lycanthrope, unsure of what was going through the bird’s mind. He in turn seemed to be surprised at being called for, proceeding to turn and look below at the entrapped Apple. “Is Miss Raspberry…is she gonna be alright?”

Almost disturbingly, the phoenix smiled and nodded his head to affirm his mistress was alright. Apple Bloom couldn’t help but wonder if the fiery avian even understood what he was implying with his answer, but both werewolf and phoenix got a nasty surprise when Fair Vista was sent slamming right into the wall Heliodor was perched atop.

* * *

**“UNGH!”** grunted the ghost, sliding down from her place on the wall and onto the ground. She tried to get back into a stance as fast as she could, but almost immediately a coil of black energy wrapped around her transparent hoof like a snake, dragging her back as it recoiled right towards the mulberry unicorn who had become the thing of Nightmare Moon’s Nightmares. A secondary beam of magic launched from her horn into the ground, another wall of dark crystal bursting up and right in the path of Fair Vista. This time, the impact was even rougher, the tractor beam letting go just before Vista’s body shattered the new wall, the shards making their points known as they did the impossible and cut into her ethereal body.

“Wha…” gasped Fair Vista, “What the hell _are_ you?!”

“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” said Raspberry, taking careful steps closer to her enemy, “it should be fairly obvious.”

“Y-you’re… an _alicorn?!”_  
  
“Oh for…Seriously?!” screamed Razz, letting loose a burst of energy right at the downed ghost. Fair Vista barely had time to get out of the way before the magic made contact, a single, razor-tipped crystal erupting from the ground. “I’m not exactly fond of this, but I at least would like some respect in it being called what it actually is! Which, in case you actually are that stupid, is _dark magic_. I don’t know _who_ decided it was ‘alicorn magic’ but it pisses me off in so many ways that you wouldn’t believe!”

“But the only way you can even cast dark magic, if you’re _not_ gifted with the power of an alicorn, is…” Vista’s eyes grew wide at the realization of the only other possibility.

“Now you understand what I am. This great power? It’s no _gift_. It’s a motherbucking _curse_. It’s driven me from every opportunity I’ve had to live a regular life, because of exactly what you probably just realized. But, if I can use my ability to rid the world of your foul taint, then no matter what happens at least I’ll have the knowledge I was a better pony than _him_.”

Despite the fact her coloration was already pretty washed out by virtue of being a ghost, Vista still managed to turn an even paler shade at the confirmation of what she feared. Of course, it was obvious, the only possible explanation for how this pony could not only wield power even the mighty alicorns feared, but also be able to harm her despite the fact she wasn’t really on the physical plane of existence. The undead werewolf could feel the sensation of fear rising within, as there was no question about it now. This was the same pony behind the barrier on that night of Apple Boom’s first change so long ago. Only this time, it was proven that dealing bloody, fatal attacks to the unicorn did nothing but _piss her off_.

“You should have fled, Vista, instead of trying to take me out of the picture or I guess try to make me into a freak like you. It doesn’t work that way, not for me at least, and it certainly isn’t going to work for you as the fact you’re technically _already dead_ means _nothing_ to me. I haven’t even _begun_ to use my magic in any meaningful way, I haven’t in a long, long time, but you’re rapidly becoming a reason for me wanting to change that.”

“N-no…stay back!” For the first time in forever, Vista truly found herself in a bad situation to the point she was retreating. A _ghost_ , who by all rights shouldn’t be able to be forced into submission by any mortal being by physical means, was unable to overcome a pony who spent more time whimpering in a corner! To say Fair Vista’s mind was protesting this reality was an understatement.

“You’ve lost - that much was true the second you decided to go after Apple Bloom, but you’re welcome to keep trying to fight me until I inevitably scatter what’s left of your very essence into the winds. Running is also an option, but know that if you do run, and you _don’t_ go back to whatever place in hell you came from but instead trouble _anypony_ with your dumb werewolf business, I will hunt you down, I will drag you out of hell myself if need be, and I. Will. End. You. Got that?”

Fair Vista was sure she would have pissed herself, if not worse, had she still had bodily organs. As it was, she immediately put distance between her and the scariest pony alive, the faster the better as she didn’t know the true extent of the unicorn’s abilities. For all she could say, Fair Vista may have just gotten herself into a situation where she‘d be constantly on the run for the rest of her life.

Raspberry, on the other hand, merely glowered for a good few minutes until she could no longer sense any trace of the ghost. With a heavy sigh, she dropped her true aura, the mist disappearing from her eyes and horn, restoring her appearance to that of the gem merchant. The gem merchant who had sold Rarity a large, dark crystal which had somehow ruined everything.

“Why must it be this way…” said Razz in a hushed tone to herself, lamenting the loss of what might have been her last shot at true happiness. The waterworks almost started again had it not been for Heliodor’s cries, bringing the unicorn’s attention to the remaining crystal formations which kept Apple Bloom held within. The implication of what she’d done only then fully hit Raspberry like a ton of bricks.

Apple Bloom was a liability. There was no way Razz could spin a story such that the mysterious pony who had been wearing her red cloak had done all this dark magic. Not when it was the only way to explain how she’d survived having her jugular torn out, which had hurt like nopony would believe, but because of her association with dark magic, Raspberry was actually very, very hard to kill through conventional means. Sure, killing the filly would solve the problem outright, the blame could easily be pinned on that Fair Vista and the remaining traces of Raspberry’s dark magic could be pinned on a supposed phantom pony, the dark diamond forgery included. The fact it would remove the problem of lycanthropy altogether (or so she thought) was a bonus.

_But I’m not going to stoop to that level…would I?_ wondered Raspberry. It was no guarantee that killing Apple Bloom would be a way to shift all the blame. Applejack _was_ the Element of Honesty and even having sacrificed the actual element to the Tree of Harmony could most likely tell Raspberry had been lying. After all, Raspberry’s lie about her magic’s weakness was no good, not after an emergency teleportation. She also wouldn’t be able to sell her gems, as while she made sure that they visually were the exact same as any real precious stone, the truth was that they were still dark crystals and she’d need to stop using magic permanently. That option was totally out, as she’d only done that once before, as a filly, back when she was still under the abusive rule of her father, and in the end her backed up magic had been what had set her on this damned path in life in the first place.

Above all else, however, Raspberry knew it was simply a question of killing an innocent filly. One who also suffered a curse from the evils of dark magic, although somewhat in a different manner. As she looked up at Heliodor, Raspberry was unsure of which choice to make, for both would saddle upon her a permanent hardship she’d be forced to live with until her death. Ultimately, however, there was only one choice to make.

“I’m sorry, Helidor, but this is the only way…” said the unicorn, quickly turning and firing a bolt of magic into the prison. The phoenix didn’t understand as he lifted off just in time, the walls crumbling underneath, but when he realized what had just happened it was clear his mistress had just paid a heavy price.

* * *

“Lyra!” chided Sandalwood, “For Celestia’s sake take that thing off already!”

With a barely audible sigh, Lyra complied and took the large shell-like head, revealing a mint colored unicorn’s noggin sticking out of what looked like a large, tailless monkey from the neck down. “You do realize this makes the costume look wrong if my head doesn’t match my body, right?”

“That’s why I suggested my idea for the human costumes, you’re the one who made a giant oversized suit.” Contrary to her flatmate, Sandalwood’s costume was composed of her wearing some kind of hooded sweater with a zipper along with a pair of blue denim pants, her lower hooves covered by a pair of boots but her forehooves were uncovered. In comparison, Lyra had constructed some sort of oversized mascot she was inside of that had working “hands” based off of minotaurs and a giant domed head with a flat face save for a slanted extrusion that was its ‘nose’, for according to her research, humans didn’t have muzzles, their noses and mouths instead being completely separate.

“Humans?” asked Silver, unsure of why she’d been left in the care of the two ponies in all of Ponyville who were certified psychos. Lyra was about to go into one of her canned speeches on how “the ignorance of ponies in regards to the significance of the presence of the human creature in Equestriani history” was terrible, but was silenced by Sandalwood raising a hoof.

“Not now, Lyra, we’ve got bigger problems at hoof.” Sandy then turned to look right at Silver, who was the only one present who was totally out of her costume, the pie laying at an angle a few feet from the door. “Look, Silver Spoon, this whole ‘werewolf’ business…everything you told the others is true, right?”

Silver nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“Oh-kay, um…how _much_ do you know about werewolves?”

“Why do you want to…oh, you were there when that thing with Iron Will went down, weren’t you?”

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Yes, everybody remembers the Apples, the six friends, and Iron Will, but they couldn’t exactly have _gotten_ there without us driving them in the Apple Truck and our Car. But more importantly, we know more than you do about werewolves, that’s for certain.”

“So Applejack _was_ a werewolf?”

Sandalwood and Lyra blanched momentarily, the tan pony managing to recover her voice first. “Who…who told you-“

Silver took her turn to look exasperated. “Fair Vista. She sort of gave a summary of the event to me and Diamond from what she was able to piece together. Something about her significant other; Sable Loam, both she and him being immortal or something, and then the Apples somehow being responsible for her death, then later Applejack specifically for her involvement in how Sable Loam died.”

Sandalwood raised an eyebrow. “I know you’ve been saying her name a lot, but I don’t recall somepony named ‘Fair Vista’ having ever been involved with this.”

“Really? ‘Cause I do.” said Lyra, “Remember that photograph Celestia found in Sable Loam’s bag after Applejack nailed him through that gravestone? Apparently it was of Fair Vista from some point way back when. The princess also said that she knew she’d killed a werewolf ten years ago at the time, but she was mistaken in that it wasn’t Sable she killed. It was Vista.”

“Oh, yeah, and then Applejack mentioned that gravestone, according to what Sable had told her, was put there by him for…” Sandalwood’s eyes went wide, “…the same ghost Twilight and co. are going after.”

“I don’t know how Diamond got involved with this ‘Fair Vista’ ghost werewolf pony thing,” lied Silver, “other than she’s just had that burning need to expose Apple Bloom as a werewolf herself or something.”

“Oh Princesses Above, Applejack as a werewolf was bad enough. Apple Bloom would be a total nightmare!”

Silver frowned. “Oh, please, it wouldn’t be as bad as having to help Diamond and that ghost in their hairbrained attempts to flush out Apple Bloom. First it was the cats, then it was the garlic stuff in the schoolhouse-“

“Wait…” interrupted Sandalwood, “garlic stuff? Like, garlic _scented_ stuff? From the spa?”

“Yeah, real nasty stuff too, but she had like gallons of the stuff and we poured it all over the place.”

**“YOU DID** WHAT **WITH MY STOLEN SCENTS?!”** shouted Sandalwood. Silver then realized that maybe letting that slip might not have been a good idea.

* * *

As Apple Bloom opened her eyes, she saw the dark crystal walls had fallen away from her, such that the space she’d been confined to was free of any black shards. What was left of the walls continued to degrade into nothing, as if it was sand being blown by a stiff breeze. Raspberry Beryl stood not too far away, her head turned away from Apple Bloom. Heliodor perched silently on a part of the ruins, having nothing to say.

“M-Miss Beryl?” stammered Apple Bloom. While she hadn’t seen the fight, she’d easily heard it, and so was aware of everything Raspberry had said about her dark magic.

“You’re safe, now, Apple Bloom.” Replied the unicorn, opening her eyes but not turning to face the filly, “Fair Vista won’t trouble you again, or anypony else if she knows what’s good for her.”

“But…all this dark magic…was it really you?”

Razz didn’t immediately respond, instead opting to choose her next words carefully, for they would determine Apple Bloom’s further impression of her now that she knew enough about her. “You heard everything that ghost and I said, much less the fact that by all that is good and right in the world I should be dead or have been afflicted with lycanthropy, but I’m not as you can see. Please tell me the truth…are you scared of me?”

“That depends. Are you the same Raspberry Beryl who Ah know from Ponyville?”

“Huh? You mean like, personality wise? Then yes, I’m the same pony on the inside, I always have been!”

“Then mah own answer is that Ah am scared of you a little. But, Ah’ve had experience with dealin’ with ponies who everypony fears. Some time back, everypony was scared of Zecora, but they didn’t understand her. To this day she credits me as bein’ the reason she’s been able to become a part of town as if she’d been a pony all along.”

“I met Zecora…nice pony. But the ponies back in town only feared her because they didn’t know what she was. With me…everypony will know. Princess Twilight felt my aura, then after what Spike did…”

“What did Spike do?” inquired Apple Bloom.

“He…” started Razz, nervously, before she found a reason to smile. Never before had she found anypony who could possibly even understand her. Except…here was a filly, subject to her own dark curse, not even fully pony anymore, but was brave enough to listen to the pony who threw around dark crystals like snowballs. If there was anypony, anypony at all, who could help her finally fight the stigma of her curse. “Here, come with me, I’ll explain.”

“Uh, okay?”

Motioning with a quick gesture of her head, Raspberry began to lead Apple Bloom to someplace in the ruins. The young Apple didn’t know what to expect, but as had been the case with Zecora, she had a gut feeling that Raspberry wasn’t a bad pony.

“So…” started Apple Bloom, but was quickly hushed by Razz.

“Please, I know you have a lot of questions, but I’d rather get to our destination first before I can answer them.”

It was a short trek, the destination being one of the few full-standing homes within the ruins. Apple Bloom instinctively came to a halt even though Beryl and Helidor kept going to the entrance of the abode.

“Huh? Apple Bloom, it’s just in-oh, right, the barrier. One sec.”

The werewolf could only look on in morbid curiosity as Raspberry nonchalantly channeled dark powers through her horn, bolts of almost invisible light shooting out and making contact on something that Apple Bloom had only known was there by instinct. All around Beryl, a dome faded into visibility only for it to break apart, similar to how Shining Armor’s forcefield had been broken by Changelings back during the Royal Wedding incident, until there was nothing left and no sign it had been there at all.

“You can come over, now, Apple Bloom. That was the only defense I’d put up, it was a strong barrier that would keep out most pests and anypony who got near it, like you, would feel a gut inclination to move away. Unless you’re a ghost, in which case you just smack into a wall.”

“Ah guess that’s what happened with Fair Vista?”

“Twice, actually, although I didn’t know it was her the first time. She ran off before I could get a good look at her, but seeing as how there aren’t any other pony poltergeists haunting around here…”

Apple Bloom giggled, before being struck into silence as she entered the doorway. While externally there was no suggestion it was anything other than just another ruin, internally was a different story. It was nothing less than gorgeous crystals, the full spectrum represented in a tasteful balance such that it was one big, glistening rainbow. Such a setting, from the luxuriously inviting queen-sized bed carved from a deep blue sapphire stock, to the rather homey looking kitchenette made up of various shades of warm colors and would have been a great place to start the day for anypony. While her knowledge of the world was rather limited beyond Ponyville and a small portion of Canterlot, there was no doubt in Apple Bloom’s mind that what she was gazing upon was the stuff of legends. Great rulers could spend the entire treasury of their government and still not achieve something this beautiful.

“Quite a sight, isn’t it?” asked Beryl, who was laying on a bright emerald sofa, “the majority of comforts that can’t be created with crystal, like bedding or these pillows, I bought in Ponyville. Everything else was made entirely by me and me alone. Well, okay, I had _some_ help from Mr. Gumpy Bird over there.” While Heliodor, perched upon a custom birdstand that was accented to perfectly compliment his plumage of green and gold, proceeded to make a big do over being shortchanged in credit, it was clear most of the work _had_ been done by Beryl. The degree of craftponyship was too fine for any phoenix to accomplish. “Unfortunately, most ponies would condemn all of this, because it’s actually nothing but a mere illusion.”

“Illusion?” asked Apple Bloom, confused. She couldn’t believe such a place, which was so welcoming and calming that the filly hadn’t noticed herself shift unconsciously back to her regular pony self, could have been fake.

“All the crystal here…they’re all dark crystals. I weave the colors into them when I form them into their shapes with my magic, so the end result looks like the same thing that would be unearthed from the ground. Even up close, since despite what you’d think of dark magic being the only way to form them, on the physical level they form the exact same as regular precious stones.”

“So, you can make forgeries of gems?” Apple Bloom wasn’t quite seeing the point…until she remembered what it was that Beryl _did_ for a living. “Wait…are you sayin’ all those gems you sell in town…they’re _fake?!_ ”

“Every last one, including the thousands of crystals over the course of my life,” sadly confirmed Beryl. “I know it’s wrong, that I’m selling forgeries, but I only ever sold them on account of the beauty and being relatively low cost compared to the real deal. Perhaps it’s shallow of me to think this, but just like how ponies only see me as an evil presence because of my dark magic, I exploit them in how they only see the beauty of my wares and assume it’s the real deal. The gems I sold never had any lingering traces of my magic, they were perfectly safe, or at least I thought they were. Then Sweetie Belle broke off that giant diamond Rarity had ordered for that damn crown, which Spike ate and, through however dragons can eat those things, broke my enchantments and managed to pump more magic into them.”

“Well, that’s interesting to know,” came the husky voice of Lightning Dust, much to the shock of Apple Bloom, Heliodor, and Raspberry. The older werewolf, still in her wolven form, walked slowly into the house. “Nice place, a bit tacky for me in all honesty, but more importantly I’m here to stop whatever evil you’re planning to do with Apple Bloom. I don’t know where that damn ghost bitch went, but-“

“Ah don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, Dust,” said Apple Bloom, “but while Ah thank you for the help earlier and wantin’ to rescue me again, Ah’m not in danger anymore.”

LD was taken aback. “You’re joking…right? I mean, I heard everything she just said. Dark magic, countless instances of selling forgeries, clearly you’re not being serious about not being in danger or she’s got you under some kinda mind control spell.”

“Oh, Ah’m serious alright…” growled Apple Bloom, immediately assuming wolf form, “…Ah’m as serious as a heart attack!” When about a minute passed with the two older ponies and the phoenix just giving strange looks at the filly, Apple Bloom just facehoofed/pawed, “come on, Ah head AJ say it once and then say somethin’ about not usin’ that phrase around Granny, so Ah’ve been tryin’ to find a good time to say it and that just seemed like a good moment.

“Uh, for the record…” piped up Razz, nervously, “if she was under my control, which she’s not, I wouldn’t have made her say something that corny.”

However, Dust wasn’t paying attention to Raspberry’s words, she was too busy gawking at the fact Apple Bloom actually _was_ a werewolf. “B-but I’m supposed to be the only one still alive, unless…”

“No, mah sis didn’t bite me when she was a werewolf, Ah don’t know how Ah’ve become the same thing she’d been turned into thanks to Sable Loam, all that business was supposed to have been settled last year. She never told anypony on the farm about you, though.”

Lightning shrugged, “I’ve only been around town for a couple of weeks, trying to keep a low profile since most ponies probably still remember the crap I started the last time I came to town. I’m just glad Rainbow’s letting me crash at her place instead of me needing to hide at-“

“The Traveler’s Retreat!” interrupted Razz, recognition in her eyes, “You were in the process of moving out of one of the rooms that one night a while back.”

“Wait, how would you know _that_ exactly?” growled Dust, baring her teeth.

“Because the Retreat is where I normally live,” answered the unicorn, a tinge of regret in her tone as she avoided eye contact with the two wolves, instead opting to survey her crystal coven, “as nice as this place is, a life in this kind of luxury isn’t what I want. I only come out here to make the gems I sold in town.” She gestured to a partially obscured back room where, through the doorway, part of what looked like a makeshift blast furnace and a worktable, both made of dark crystal, visible to the werewolves. “I never thought anything would come of it, but I’d stayed there so long that Ascot and Cashmere, bless them, opened their home and hearts to me and gave me both their private guest room and even a job; an actual stable job. But of course it was foolish to me to think it would last.”

“Is it because of the dark magic thing?” asked Apple Bloom, “I’m sure if you just used regular magic-“

“But that’s just it!” snapped Razz, turning to face the filly directly, but her mannerisms were of desperation instead of anger, “I _want_ to be able to use regular magic, all I’ve ever _wanted to be_ was just a regular old unicorn! It’s just that I am incapable of doing anything with magic that doesn’t use dark magic, because…because dark magic _is_ my special talent!”

“But your cutie mark doesn’t say that,” pointed out Dust, using a foreleg to gesture to the baby blue heart gem with the three-color gem spread around it.

“It’s not my real cutie mark.” Answered the unicorn, on the verge of tears, having finally been able to open up about her troubles. “Just like how I make fake gems by weaving in illusion spells when I create them, my magic is powerful enough to make it seem different. In truth, my cutie mark-“ She stopped mid-sentence when the noise of an approaching crowd of ponies began to grow from the outside. “They’re here…” she whimpered, her horn charging up an emergency teleport spell such that she could make an escape.

“What are you doing?!” demanded Apple Bloom, having figured out what Raspberry was going to do, “Why are you running?”

“Because if they catch me, I’m going to be put to trial and most certainly executed for dark sorcery!” answered a tearful Razz. Heliodor nodded to the filly, confirming his opinion was the same as his companion’s before fluttering over to land on her back. “If not for my magic constantly breaking one of the highest laws of Equestria, then certainly because my magic nearly killed one of the closest ponies to Princess Twilight! It’s the only-“

Razz did not expect Lighting to move like, well, lightning. In one swift motion, she’d launched from a standstill and swatted at the unicorn’s horn, causing the spell to be canceled.

“No, it’s _not_ the only way. Sure, you have dark magic violations too numerous to count, but if it truly is the only kind of magic you can perform, then you had to do what you did to survive, right?”

“Y-yeah…”

“And all you’ve done with your magic, as far as I can tell, is make little cheap rocks that look pretty. Oh, and save the life of the younger sister of an Element of Harmony. Considering that I once nearly _killed five of them because I was too self-absorbed for my own good_ , I think I’m in a position to say I’ve done way worse than you.”

“Besides,” added Apple Bloom, “you said nopony ever listened to you before about any of this. Well, you have two ponies who have, now, and if what you said about Spike was true, then you didn’t do anything wrong or even be responsible for that.”

“Th…that’s true…” sniffed Razz, looking up at the pegasus and earth ponies before her.

“Caw, caw!” cawed Heliodor, placing himself next to his mistress such that he could rub his head against her cheeks.

“You’re right Heelee, maybe it is time to stop running…but…but will you two really stand up for me?”

“Ah don’t know about Dust, but you saved mah life, and Ah know you’re a good pony just as much as anypony else. Something as silly as law won’t stop me from bein’ on your side.”

“Besides, now that I think about it…” added Dust, hoof/pawstroking her chin, “if you are skilled with dark magic, like King whats-hisname-“

“Sober?” suggested Apple Bloom.

“Uh, yeah, King Sober, then maybe you can help me out, since I’m still kind of on the clock with this werewolf thing and you might be the only one who can stop it.”

By this point, the noise of ponies on the outside implied maybe only a minute or two until they arrived. “Dust, can…can you not mention the fact Ah’m a werewolf?” asked Apple Bloom, shifting back to her regular form.

“Why?” inquired back Dust, also assuming regular form.

“Because if Ah can reveal mah little ‘hairy problem’ at a better time, it would help support your point and in turn help Razz.”

“Oh, I get you. Alright.”

Any further conversation was cut off by the arrival of the mane six. They were all a mixed bag of emotions, namely various states of irritation, but Twilight was clearly doing her best not to explode. It would be very unprincess like of her. It was Applejack, however, who acted first.

“Bloomie!” she exclaimed, dashing forward and tackling the filly in a big hug, “Ah was so worried.”

“Ah’m fine, AJ, Ah had some good protectors who came to my aid.”

“I’d say more than that, Lightning also led us straight to Raspberry Beryl, too!” added Rainbow, who soared in and took a position behind the mulberry unicorn.

“Actually, Rainbow…” interrupted Dust, “I wasn’t exactly all that helpful. The ghost had already been driven off by the time I got here. If anypony deserves praise for saving Apple Bloom, it’s Raspberry.”

“No offense, Dust,” said Twilight, striding into the room at last, “but this unicorn…she can’t be trusted. Not after what she did to Spike, and certainly not after the discovery she’s been involved with dark magic practices.”

“But if what she says is true, then she didn’t have anything to do with that! It was an accident!” argued Apple Bloom. From there, things quickly devolved into a multi-sided group argument and eventually became too much for the distraught pony caught in the middle.

**“ENOUGH!”** shouted Razz, all voices silenced and eyes looking at her. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, a glance at Heliodor whose nodding gave her strength, Beryl looked at the alicorn in front of her to say what needed to be said. “There is a lot that I will need to explain, this much I know. It’s true that I am guilty of practicing dark magic and of selling forgeries of precious gems, but if I was every bit of the pony you think I am just because I am a dark magic user but not an alicorn, then do you think I would have stayed here and allowed you and your friends to corner me in this place? That I would have chosen to save the life of a young filly over vanishing into the forest to escape capture, and then remained here because she told me that she believes that even after all this, the princesses would take mercy on me?”

“She’s tellin’ the truth, Twi,” said Applejack. “Ah know, Ah know, the whole ‘no dark magic’ thing and all, but considerin’ how you’ve saved Equestria _twice_ because you used dark magic yourself, plus the fact it’s pretty obvious she’s the only reason mah sister was saved from Fair Vista’s ghost, there’s more goin’ on with Raspberry here than she’s let on. It’s only fair we give her a fair chance.”

“But, Applejack…”

“I am in agreement with her, too.” Said Rarity, who hadn’t said anything before due to being enraptured by the beautiful crystal work around her. “No pony with an evil heart would choose to hide in a place this lovely. Plus, I simply refuse to believe the Raspberry Beryl I knew, the timid gem monger who was such a joy to have around, was nothing but a fabricated persona.”

“I’m sorry, girls!” exclaimed Twilight, “but even as a Princess, I can’t override the founding laws of Equestria! I have to have her arrested and she must stand trial!”

“I am aware of that,” said Razz, “but if Apple Bloom is willing to believe in me, then I’m willing to believe in her, and so I submit myself for arrest, Princess, but on four conditions.”

“And what would those be?” warily asked Twilight.

“While I don’t doubt your intentions, I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, I am given a fair trial, for I know having the stigma of being a dark magic user will put a bias against me. I want you to promise me that while I am incarcerated, Heliodor is given the utmost care and treatment, but most of all is unharmed and not subject to the charges laid upon me. He is the closest thing I’ve ever had to family for most of my life.

“I also don’t want any of this to trouble Ascot and Cashmere, or the Traveler’s Retreat. They never knew about my dark magic during my time there, whatever I may be convicted of they are not associated with, my only regret being that they may never want to see my face again after this.

“Finally…I want Apple Bloom and Lightning Dust to be at my trial.”

The ponies still dressed in halloween costumes all displayed shock at that request. “Why them?” asked Fluttershy.

“Because they were willing to listen, when nopony else would. They were the ones who told me to stop running and give myself up such that I may be tried. I’ve…always been afraid of crowds, of attention. The reason is obvious, but in all other cases there’s never been any friendly faces among the crowds. They told me they’d be willing to stand by me, to support me, and even if they can’t testify in my favor, two friendly faces that I can look to among the crowd would mean so much to me.”

Twilight looked hard into Raspberry’s eyes. Ever since the revelation she’d been tricked by Sable Loam with his disguise as the crystal pony ‘Intellectual Pursuit’, she’d taught herself to look for any telltale signs that would indicate dishonesty. But, try as she might, it was clear Raspberry was honest in her words as Applejack had already confirmed. Usually, from what Twilight knew, lawbreakers who surrendered to the Crown kept their requests to be frivolous luxuries like a golden-plated toilet or four-poster beds. Raspberry had only asked for the guarantee of a truly fair trial, moral support from two ponies, and for three other individuals to not be associated with her crimes. In fact, they weren’t really even conditions, they were pleas that were more in the interest in protecting others than the one requesting them. No pony who had even a shred of evil intention within their hearts would do such a thing.

“Raspberry Beryl, as instructed by my position as a Princess of Equestria, I accept your surrender and you will be incarcerated until the time as such for you to be tried,” began Twilight, letter-perfect in her declaration of authority, “however, due to the severity of your crimes by your own admission, your trial will be directly judged by Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and myself, as opposed to a normal judgment by jury.” Twilight noted how Raspberry’s heart plummeting was evident in the rapid increase of her breathing and nervous twitching, to which the princess gave a comforting smile and put a hoof on the other unicorn’s shoulder. “Personally, I think you stand a better shot if it’s just the Princesses doing the judging. Your conditions, which by themselves are good evidence of your character, have my guarantee that they will be followed. I will do all in my power as Princess to ensure the safety of those close to you, that there will be no bias against you in a fair trial, and as for the two ponies you wish to be there…” Twilight glanced at Apple Bloom, then Lightning Dust, before resuming her gaze at Razz, “…I doubt that even as a Princess I could _stop_ them from attending no matter how hard I tried.”

“Thank you, Princess,” said Raspberry, a small smile coming to her lips. She knew that the trial would still be a grueling experience, that no matter what Twilight could do the three older princesses would still be biased against her due to all the dark magic charges. And without Heliodor, who she hadn’t asked to be with her when she stood trial as she knew no pets were allowed on the stand, she would be going at it alone. But even if she had to be truly alone for the first time in her life in what seemed like forever, she could finally be open about the truth.

Well, _almost_ the whole truth. If she could get away with only her dark magic being known, that was fine by her. But her true cutie mark…nopony could know, for its implications were far worse than even what her dark magic implied.

**Author's Note:**

Merry Generic Winter Holiday!


	45. Book2 Ch.20 The Evil Within Us All - Part 1

Rise of the Furball Chapter 20: “The Evil Within Us All - Part 1”

As the train chugged its way up the mountain, Raspberry Beryl was dead silent, her unfocused gaze looking out the window. There was nothing she really could do, as despite her promises to be taken into custody peacefully, both Princess Celestia and Luna had insisted on a heavy guard detachment for the sole purposes of escorting her, by train, to Canterlot’s dungeons. It wasn’t like Razz was going to protest, the princesses had plenty of experience dealing with magic users of the darker persuasion and as they didn’t know Raspberry’s maximum limits they were going to err on the side of caution.

The fact she had to wear the shackles and heavy chains even on the train, though, was a bit much. What she going to do, take out an entire train full of elite guards with some kind of special art, such as the “Hundred Hoof Crack Punch” or manage to use dark magic to do the pegasus-only “Hurricane Kick”?

“So…” suddenly said the pegasus guard sitting across from Razz. The unicorn had been surprised to learn that only the guards directly tied to guarding the castle were required to wear the spell that made then uniformly all white-and-blue stallions, or in the case of unicorn guards gray-and-white stallions. But, thanks to the overkill need for security, the more offensive reserve guard had been brought in. This particular pegasus had a goldenrod coat, with a yellow and white mane and tail. Her cutie mark looked similar to Celestia's, but there were more rays were straighter than those of the Princess. “I have to admit, when we were told we were taking on a unicorn with unknown abilities in dark magic, I was expecting, well…”

“Sombra? I tend to get that a lot. At least, when ponies eventually found out the truth.”

“That you’re a pony who should have been thrown in the dungeon and the key buried and forgotten?” snapped the pegasus guard sitting across from the two mares. Even though the train was loaded down with guards, the coach Raspberry was actually in only had two guards with her, all the other guards opting to not be in the same enclosed space as the pony who, as far as they knew, could squeeze their brains like a raisin with her mere thoughts.

“Don’t be such a stick in the mud, Candlewick, you’re only even in here because you’re trying to impress the new recruit.” Chided the nicer of the two guard pegasi, “Considering your sister, being in the same room as somepony _almost_ as scary as her would be enough to send you right to your bunk with your little Smarty Pants doll.”

“What are you…she _didn’t_ ” said the mortified stallion.

“She did,” smirked Sun, “I must say, I didn’t think anypony would want the ‘Princess Sugarlicious’ version, but then again I didn’t know you had a thing for dolls.”

“Oh, so that’s what everypony is talking about when they mention Smarty Pants?” asked Beryl.

“Uh, yeah. I don’t know how even you couldn’t have had one, I mean, _every_ filly wants one for Hearth’s Warming at some point and even the cheap five-bit ones with only the rotating neck and brushable mane/tails are easy enough to get. Surely you had one back when-”

“No.” The guards, both mare and stallion, were stunned at the simple, flat answer from the convict. “I’ve never had a Smarty Pants doll. Or any toys, really. But what do you care? I’m a dark magic user, I’m so clearly dangerous that there is no question about how I’m a complete monster. It’s not like you care that I never knew my mother or my father was abusive or that the only living _thing_ who has ever cared for me was a phoenix who I’ve practically raised from being a chick.” Golden Sun and Candlewick were silent, as Raspberry had figured. “I’m just wasting my breath, I guess, pent up frustration and all after all these years. Even if you guards did care about me, you can’t do anything to help since that would put yourselves in danger of being fired or worse, so…” Razz sighed, “…how long until we get there?”

“Er, fifteen minutes,” said Candlewick.

“Fifteen minutes too long, if you ask me.” Razz merely sighed again and slumped against the window, her horn making noise when its tip bumped the window pane. In the distance she could see the outline of the Equestriani capital. Home of the Alicorns. Where bad things went to die. Was she a bad pony? Had she always been doomed to this, even though all her life she’d tried to be above it?

“Hey,” came the voice of Golden Sun. When Razz looked up, she saw a yellow hoof outstretched with an opened granola bar. “It’s not regulation, but you do look sort of hungry and I just remembered I had this spare ration.”

“Thanks,” replied Razz, taking the granola into her hooves and biting into the first thing she’d had to eat since the beginning of Nightmare Night the day before. It was sort of bland tasting, but at the same time it wasn’t, possibly because of the kindness of another pony, something Razz had always cherished.

* * *

At the same time, it was recess time at Ponyville Elementary. All the colts and fillies knew about why Apple Bloom was missing was that she had been summoned to Canterlot by Princess Twilight, who had needed to return to the capital in light of the affairs with Raspberry Beryl. Diamond Tiara, despite her scare of no cutie mark thanks to the Poison Joke, had been easily returned to normal through the help of Zecora, though the same could not be said of her relationship with Silver Spoon when she discovered what had happened.

“You _idiot_ , everything is ruined because of you!” shouted Diamond at Silver, “Why did you tell them?!”

“Because it was the right thing to do!” the young silversmith argued back, “You’ve treated me like dirt ever since you met that stupid ghost, to which I’ve constantly paid the price for, and Apple Bloom in contrast has been proving you wrong time and time again without even knowing it!”

“What, so you’re on _her_ side now? I thought you were my friend, Silver!”

“And I thought I was yours, Diamond!”

“What are you talking about? I’m the best friend you have! I’m the _only_ friend you have!”

Silver’s mouth trembled as Diamond reminded her of the obvious, of why she’d even gone this far. But the final line in the proverbial sand had been drawn, the line Silver would not cross. “No, you’re not anymore, if you ever _were_ my friend to begin with!”

Tiara gasped, as if she’d been grievously insulted. “You take that back!”

“No!” Silver was done with Tiara, that much was going to be made clear here and now. “If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past few months with all this nonsense, it’s that this ‘friendship’ has been decidedly one-sided in _your_ favor! You’ve used me, exploited me, I don’t even know all the words to express what I’ve been to you, just that ‘friend’ was never one of them! We’re _through!”_

And with that, Silver turned her back on the scandalized Tiara and trotted off to the other side of the schoolyard, never acknowledging the sea of eyes that had noticed the argument and watched the two most egotistical ponies separate. Tiara was furious. _Nopony_ talked to her like that. But she had to keep up appearances, which meant she couldn’t hurl obscenities at her former friend. So, instead, she just looked away and went to go play by herself, mentally filing Silver into the ‘enemy’ list in her head.

Silver, on the other hand, had made it to the far side of the schoolhouse before she couldn’t go any farther. She slumped to the ground, back on the schoolhouse wall, and began to cry. It had been the right thing to do, but now there was nopony who liked her anymore. At the very least, when she’d been with Tiara, the pink pony’s influence kept Silver in the clear. But now there was no protection from the horrors she rightfully deserved, all the bad things she’d done to other ponies. She figured the first round was already going to begin, as three distinct fillies approached.

“I know what I asked of you last night, but if you really want to make fun of me, call me names, or whatever you want, go ahead. I deserve it.”

“No. We gave our word, Silver,” said Scootaloo, “and we’re going to stick to it. Our honor as Crusaders demands that much.”

“Plus, it’s because of you that Apple Bloom is alright!” squeaked Sweetie Belle, “well, as alright as she can be, since she’s really a you-know-what.”

“At least she still has ponies who don’t hate her,” sniffed Silver.

“That’s not true,” said Babs, walking up to the bespectacled filly and offering her hoof. “Take it from a pony who was in a similar position as you the last time I came to town, there’s always going to be a helpin' hoof when you need one, a friend who can stand by your side.”

Silver smiled as she took Babs’s hoof, who helped her get back up on all fours. “You…you really mean it?”  
“More than that!” answered Scootaloo, “Since you just cut ties with Diamond, I figure you’ve got the rest of the day open. Why not come with us to the clubhouse?”

The schoolhouse bell then rang, with the rest of the fillies being drawn back to the building. But, for Silver, maybe things were looking up after all. “Sure. I don’t have much to lose, now do I?”

* * *

Heliodor was, in a word, unhappy.

He did not understand why he was left in a cage which was behind some door, in front of which stood two very bored guards. Sure, they’d brought him water and food, but he hadn’t been in need of sustenance of the edible kind. He didn’t even want attention, which Raspberry would have said was _very_ unlike him.

Of course, that was the problem; Raspberry wasn’t there. Even though he was a bird, he was a phoenix, a very rare kind at that with him being a green phoenix. Possibly one of the smartest kinds of avians in the world, they had incredible memory and could have possibly learned speech if evolution had given them vocal cords. But had Heliodor been able to talk, he would have cried out for his mistress, for as much of a capable bird of prey that he was, Raspberry Beryl was what defined the world to him. She had been the one who had saved him from certain death as a mere chick, as he recalled how in the sea of chaos in which he’d been born it was her who was the reason he had ever seen the sun. She had been his protector, his caretaker during those frightful first weeks, helping him regain the courage to fly and be free as he needed to be.

But at the same time, he’d seen how she needed protecting, too, for while he didn’t understand why it was clear other ponies didn’t like her for some reason, they wanted to hurt her like those things in the caves had. But she didn’t have any kind of overseeing figure to defend her, like she had been for him, and so he’d resolved to be that figure. And even though she’d assured him that everything would be alright, he wanted nothing more than to take his perch on her horn, to physically touch her and have every reassurance she was alright.

He jumped when the door was suddenly opened, though he knew instantly it wasn’t the pony who needed him as much as he needed her. The guards were also, strangely, not at their posts, but no more could be determined as the pony who came into the room hit him with a sleeping spell, causing the poor phoenix to slump to the bottom of his cage.

“This is no place for a bird of you beauty, now is it?” said the unicorn, taking a large cloth they’d brought and draping it over the cage, before including it in their telekinesis, “nor is that place next to a filthy unicorn who wishes to use the dark arts for her own gain. You’ll be happier under _my_ care, though, since at least in my possession you’ll be exactly what you were always meant to be.”

Nopony heard the low, sinister chuckles of the thief as the door was shut, the crime unseen.

* * *

“Hey, wake up!”

Razz groggily opened her eyes, rubbing the sleep from them with her right hoof. It hadn’t been an easy night, of course then again the entirety of yesterday had been the third worst day of her life. Having been marched like a prisoner of war, though more out of the fact it had been hard to walk in the leg irons and to the credit of Golden Sun, the guard mare had asked her platoon leader; Shoeshine, to remove the irons on the ground it was unequine. He refused, of course, and so as the crowd of thousands watched, a lone unicorn was marched from the train station under heavy guard all the way to the dungeons. It was almost comical how the actual ‘dungeon cell’ was far better than Raspberry could have hoped. A simple cot with an uncomfortably stiff mattress and a down pillow missing most of the down, a window overlooking the canyon just next to the mountainside capital, and even an enclosed bathroom (that was actually pretty clean) so inmates could do their business in peace (there were of course spells cast such that if inmates tried to use the privacy of the bathroom to manufacture contraband shivs or the like the guards would know). But, since as far as Raspberry had hopes was defined as a bed of old, nasty hay in the darkest depths of the castle dungeons and the toilet was the complex “piss in the corner opposite the bed” lifestyle, she could have practically lived in prison, for she’d had far worse conditions while “free” in the past.

Except now she didn’t have Heliodor, who she was constantly worried about, and the two guards posted to guard her cell were not as friendly as Golden Sun or, after working him around to it, Candlewick. Instead, Raspberry now had his sister; Spinnaker, who had outright told Raspberry not to try to tell any lies (meaning nothing the poor unicorn said would be regarded as actual fact), and another pegasus guard named Tiger Lily who seemed really angry all the time. It was the latter who was commanding Razz to wake up.

“Yeah, today’s the big day for you!” said Spinnaker, snickering.

“W-why, more paperwork for you to fill out in booking me?” countered Razz as she got up from the bunk. “Look, can I at least wash up first?”

Tiger Lily glared at the prisoner “No, now-“

“-Or do you want to take me, a prisoner who looks like crap and probably doesn’t smell to good, in front of the entire ruling body of Equestria? I’m sure that would look good in your performance review that-“

“Then make it quick!” shouted the angered pegasus. While Razz did try to be expedient in washing up, she wasn’t too hurried as she’d met ponies like Tiger before, ponies who would complain that one took too long to do something, no matter how fast it actually had been done.

“You’re taking too long!” predictably complained Tiger as Razz presented her cleaned-up self at the bars of her cell, “Hopefully you’re not going to drag your hooves now, either!”

“Can it, Tiger!” interjected Spinnaker, who put the leg irons back on Raspberry, “You’re giving her ideas.”

“Look, can we just get there already?” whined Razz, “I’m sure the actual trial is going to give me less of a headache than hearing you two complain about each other.”

“We’ll see about _that_ ” smiled Tiger wickedly, “don’t you know who’s running the prosecution?”

“How should I know, nopony’s told me anything since I was put down here. For all I know _Queen Chrysalis_ is the one trying to give me the death penalty.”

“Heh, you _wish,_ since I’d bet the Changeling monarch would just want you dead,” said Spinnaker, “But Prince Blueblood? He pulled some big strings to be able to get the credit for winning your trial, which means he’s going to make it one heck of a show. And to be honest?” Spinnaker’s bratty tone suddenly changed to one carrying a seldom shown compassionate side,” I…do actually feel kind of sorry for you because of that. The guard’s been circulating rumors about how you saved a filly’s life, I may be a bitch sometimes but even I know the Princesses are overreacting to this, and Blueblood shouldn’t even be involved.”

“Yeah, but at least there’s a good side,” added Tiger, who also changed her tone to being more friendly. “Apparently Princess Twilight pulled some strings of her own, so your public defender is Prince Shining Armor. It’s going to be ugly with Blueblood trying to rip you a new one, but at least you have the old guard captain and current prince consort on your side for this.”

“Oh joy…” moaned Raspberry, who as usual hated being the center of attention, especially when opposite sides leveled heavy artillery specifically to catch her in the crossfire. “At the very least, could you tell me if my pet phoenix is alright? He’s probably worried sick about me, just as much as I’m worried sick about him.”

Tiger and Spinnaker exchanged brief, nervous glances. Neither of them was going to tell the pony who used dark magic with ease what had happened.

“He got moved, so we actually don’t know,” hastily fibbed Tiger. “Shining Armor might, though, since he’s royalty and Princess Twilight wanted that phoenix protected.”

“Oh, okay, thanks. I’ll ask him, then,” said Razz.

Tiger would for the next few hours fear for her life when Shining told Razz that somepony had stolen the bird and the trail led back to her. _Makes me almost wish I’d been with the Weatherpony protesters the day I enlisted_ she thought.

* * *

“Guess I should have listened to you, huh, Cady?” joked Shining, struggling with the crest on his dress uniform. “It’s not Sombra, but-“

“You had every right, Shiny” replied the love avatar, her magic joining his to orient the ornament correctly before she strode over to peck him on the cheek. “After all, I had been stupid at the time with having put myself in that room full of dark magic.”

“Yeah, but this? It’s got to be some kind of cosmic irony. All the trouble we put into protecting the Crystal Empire from the personification of dark magic, only to now have my sister practically beg me to play defense for somepony just as powerful as Sombra.”

“Just because I said I sensed her power was like that, Shiny, doesn’t mean she actually _is_ as powerful as him.”

“Cady, the guard recovered the crystals that had formed in Ponyville in the aftermath of what happened to Spike, which no doubt Blueblood will use as evidence. I was able to see them, though, and the fact is they are honest-to-your-aunt the same kind of crystal formations Sombra was making sprout all over the Empire.”

Cadence balked, “Surely you’re not serious!”

Shining shook his head “I’m afraid so, there have been numerous cases of rogue unicorns trying to use that forbidden art between the return of the empire and now, but not one of them has anything in the after-action reports mentioning dark magic on the scale above abnormally powerful elemental spells. Really, I’m just relieved this Raspberry Beryl surrendered on peaceful terms after that mess in Ponyville.”

“Oh, now you’ve given me ideas,” replied the alicorn in a sultry voice, slowly walking up to her husband with an exaggerated gait. “Let’s see what you define as ‘peaceful terms’ later tonight…”

“You make that sound like a _bad_ thing…” responded Shining in his own suggestive tone, his lips suddenly finding themselves touching hers. It almost certainly would have gone further than that had there not been a sudden knock at the door. Quickly breaking the kiss, Cadence looking away from the door to hide her blush, Shining quickly recomposed himself and responded, “Come in.”

There was what sounded like mumbling outside, before the door opened and Tiger Lily entered. “It’s almost time, your majesties, Spinnaker and I have brought the prisoner as requested although-“

“Yes, yes, it’s the lawyer thing that I shouldn’t be here for. I’m probably needed in the hall, anyway. See you soon, hon.” Cadence gave Shining one last kiss on the lips before she made for the hall that the trial would be held in. Once she was gone, Spinnaker brought in the nervous Raspberry.

“I should warn you, and apologies in advance…” Tiger suddenly whispered into Shining’s ear, “We sort of told her you had her bird moved to a secret location.”

“You _what?!”_ answered Shining, quietly enough that Raspberry, who was listening to something Spinnaker was telling her, wouldn’t hear.

“You’re her defense lawyer, we figured you’d know how to break the news to her better! Plus, she’s _really_ torn up about having been separated from her pet, and if she’s supposedly as powerful as Sombra, then those wards put on her horn to keep her magic bottled up aren’t reliable enough for either Spinny and I to risk our lives on. Plus, your special talent is protection magic, you’re better suited for dealing with her when angry than two pegasus guards.”

“Let’s just hope for your sake that my sister was right and this pony is as about as violent as Fluttershy.”

Tiger nodded, then saluted. Spinnaker followed suit, before the two exited the room. While it would just be Shining and Raspberry inside, with the two pegasus guards on point just outside, Shining was still a capable fighter. After all, he’d been a Guard Captain, and they didn’t let ponies move up the ranks simply by kissing the plots of superiors.

“So, you’re the one all this trouble is about. Raspberry Beryl, right?”

Raspberry nodded but said nothing.

“Okay, Miss. Beryl, I’m assuming that you know what the purpose of this meeting is?”

“D-defense council?” she stammered, clearly uncomfortable being in the presence of Shining Armor. While he was far from the muscle-clad hulks of stallions like Ponyville’s own Snowflake, anypony could see that the prince consort didn’t skimp out on keeping himself in shape even though he was no longer part of the guard. Just by the subtle curvature of the muscles in his forelegs, Raspberry figured he could snap her spine in half if he wanted. So she was shocked when his horn lit up and the leg irons spontaneously fell off.

“You seemed uncomfortable in those. It’s also harder for ponies to sit in them, I remember this one time when we had this new recruit; Divine Wind, who was a real prick and thought it would be funny if his commanding officer, who happened to be me at the time, woke up in leg irons. I never did figure out how he acquired them. Then again, I don’t think he ever figured out how that morning they ended up locked on his legs instead of mine.”

Beryl’s mouth made an _O_ shape. “Did you know he was going to do it beforehand?”

“Nope. But back when Twily was just a filly, she and the babysitter; Cadence, liked to pull that prank on me all the time, though not with actual leg irons, so I ended up developing a keen sense of when somepony’s trying to bind me up while sleeping. And picking the locks was easy, I’d gotten really good at it just to impress the old _Orcs & Oubliettes_ group back in high school.”

“No!” laughed Raspberry, as naive as she was about pony culture in general, she’d heard about what was commonly called _O &O_. She’d even once sold a bunch of small, sequin-sized gems to a group who wanted to use them to paint up miniatures for the game, though she didn’t know much about the game itself. Just that it was hard to picture Shining Armor, the spitting image of what all athletic ponies wanted to be, doing something like _O &O_.

“Hey, Caddy thought it was cute, and I can’t argue with that seeing as how we’re happily married!” chucked Shining, motioning for the freed Razz to take a seat. While normally what Shining was doing was frowned upon by conventional law ponies, this was an abnormal situation and by telling a little story had succeeded in improving Raspberry’s mood as intended. The result was her being very cooperative in everything she had to be as such while Shining explained what was going to happen.

Right until she asked about her bird, to which Shining had to tell her the truth, as while the instantaneous look on her face was that of a pony whose entire outlook on life had been crushed in the most horrifying way possible, Shining could only reason it was better she find out now than during the actual trial. For while Shining merely told Raspberry that Heliodor had mysteriously vanished overnight and the investigation ongoing, Blueblood was going to ride Heliodor’s absence on a cart of scathing accusations leveled right at Raspberry. But it was small solace, as Shining knew it was going to be insanely difficult to justify a defense when he, the one who had been needed to help his wife protect the Crystal Empire, was now defending the most evil kind of magic known to pony kind.

* * *

The trial of Raspberry Beryl was imminent, the Grand Hall was packed to capacity, the only ponies missing being the princesses. The prosecution and defense teams were in place, Raspberry looking like an absolute wreck and Shining being completely expressionless to hide his own worries, while Blueblood looked like a predatory bird about to divebomb a particularly helpless meal-to-be. The five non-alicorn element bearers, being treated as if they were truly of royal blood, had been given one of the two private boxes close to the floor where all the action would take place. For Apple Bloom and Lightning Dust, however, they were not granted the same privileges and so were stuck towards the back of the crowd.

“Ah don’t like this,” said Apple Bloom, “Ah don’t like it one bit!”

“Neither do I,” agreed Lightning Dust, “but we don’t have any power to change it, do we?”

“Quiet!” said the guard assigned to watch over them, “it’s about to begin.”

Indeed, guards stationed all over were beginning to tell the crowd the same, evidenced by the gradual onset of silence. The room was dead still as the princesses entered from the far right side in order from shortest to tallest, taking the second box seat. More importantly, Twilight was seated as close to her friends as possible such that if the need arose they could use the Elements of Harmony to stop any threat…at least that was the given story as to how they had the Elements still. The real Elements had been returned to the Tree of Harmony deep within the Everfree Fest, but in order to prevent public outcry over the loss of Equestria’s most powerful defense it was secretly decided to create duplicates that looked like the real deal. They would be in truth totally useless in the event a major disaster actually happened, but the hope was the suggestion of Equestria’s six most powerful artifacts being present would be enough to prevent such problems from occurring.

Once the Princesses were all seated, the Hon. Judge Powdered Wig came in from the left side and took his seat at the highest point in the room.

Clearing his throat, he addressed the princesses. While he was the highest authority in the Equestriani Legal System, he still had to answer to the Princesses themselves who were there to ensure the trial went smoothly, especially considering the nature of the offenses on what he’d describe as a _very_ long list. “Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight, the court is now prepared and yours to oversee.”

“Very well, then,” said Celestia, “Let the trial commence!”

* * *

The trial was going, in a word; horribly. While Blueblood found he would have quite the opponent in Shining on the legal battleground, not having known the position of Guard Captain required extensive legal study for the possibility of needing to be an acting judge on the front lines, the fact remained there really wasn’t much of a defense he _could_ put up. As suspected, the pompous prince was riding on the fact Heliodor had mysteriously vanished from the evidence room where he’d been kept, which turned into accusations of him having never existed in the first place but instead having just been an illusion used to distract ponies who had been buying her gems such that they wouldn’t notice the “obvious flaws” that exposed their true, evil nature. The fact one such disguised gem nearly killed the adopted sibling of one of the princesses became his overall argument that Raspberry was a monster who hid behind a veil of innocence and that she should be put to the death.

By the time recess had been called, Shining had managed to nullify much of Blueblood’s wild accusations, but it wasn’t looking good for overturning the very clear consensus Razz had tried to assassinate Spike. Worse, Razz seemed to have lapsed into some kind of depressed coma, the insults from Blueblood having cut her deep but none deeper than the claim her phoenix had never existed.

“Somebody needs to talk to the poor dear!” confided Rarity. The Ponyville friends had formed their own little emergency group meeting in private, possible only because Twilight could mass-teleport the group with ease away from the crowds. “It goes without saying that I’m no stranger to over the top theatrics when I get down and out, but it’s no exaggeration that even the worst of my episodes are _nothing_ compared to that hopeless expression she had while being escorted out of the room.”

“I can’t do anything, I’m afraid,” said Twi apologetically, “She wanted a fair trial and I agreed to it, but part of that is prisoners like her are not allowed to talk to anypony other than their legal consultants during a court recess. And Shiny, as much as he always knows how to cheer me up, probably isn’t able to do the same for Raspberry. Unless a miracle happens, like Heliodor turns up, it’s pretty evident Blueblood is going to win.”

“It ain’t right!” said Applejack, “the whole ‘she tried to kill Spike’ bit is nothin’ but a bunch of hooey, Ah’ll admit Ah don’t really know much about her but she saved mah sister’s life from what we think was mah dead ancestor or somethin’ pretendin’ to be Fair Vista.”

“I’m really worried about Heliodor, along with Raspberry, obviously, but I don’t have much hope we’ll find him in time.” Confessed Fluttershy, “phoenixes in captivity of any kind are extremely rare, and as far as anypony knows Heliodor’s the only one with a green and gold mix instead of red. Whoever wanted him must have wanted him because he was unique, since trying to sell him would be impossible, but who would risk breaking into the castle to steal a bird?”

While the six conversed worriedly, none of them noticed the stained glass window behind them. Or, more specifically, the small figure listening into their conversation. He was not happy to hear that the phoenix had gone missing.

“As much as I love chaos…” mumbled Discord, moving out of the window by means invisible to other ponies before reforming inside a broom closet, taking on his unicorn disguise, “I don’t think I want to know how badly this is going to end if something is not done.” With absolutely zero interest in being stealthy about suddenly appearing in the hallway, he threw the door open wide.

“OW!” came two voices, one of a tomboy and the other with a distinct country accent.

“Oh, um, sorry?” apologized the fake unicorn, his embarrassed smile turning into an ‘o’ of discovery as he realized he’d slammed a door right into the muzzles of the specific two ponies he’d needed to find. “Actually, this is quite fortunate, I was just about to try and find both of you as a matter of fact.”

“You coulda been a bit less clumsy with the introduction,” said Apple Bloom, hoof rubbing her slightly bruised muzzle, “plus, Ah have to admit Ah woulda expected somethin’ a little more extravagant from you, Disc-“

“Shhh!” Discord quickly covered Apple Bloom’s mouth, “I don’t know how you figured out-“

“Mwahwplephwack mwould mwe,” answered the filly .

“Whatever, point I’m trying to make is that a lot of ponies _don’t_ know that and it’s in my best interest that they don’t, and I’m not pretending to not be me because we don’t have much time _._ ”

“Wait, so you’re…” asked Lightning, skeptically, “I thought you were-“

Discord facehooved. “Yes, yes, I don’t look like the fancy windows, especially the 8th version of some of those windows, they took out my most defining features. Regardless, I just found out the trial isn’t going so well for your friend because her phoenix is missing, correct?”

“Yeah…” replied Apple Bloom, downtrodden at the idea.

“Look, I know it’s hard to believe this, but I _might_ be able to help.” Discord then produced the green phoenix feather that had been recovered from the abandoned Diamond Dog mine some weeks back, “I would try and find him myself, but I can’t ask Tia to let me go out of the castle again and considering my old reputation most ponies would think I’d stolen him simply so I’d look better if I returned him. Which, while is a good idea I actually do admit, would break the promise I made to a dear friend centuries ago.”

“How did you-?” asked Dust, while Apple Bloom took the feather.

“I found it lying in the western foyer, no idea how it hadn’t been noticed since birds aren’t really allowed in the castle save for Philomena, and last I checked she’s red where Heliodor is green. But you two need to go! Find some of the guards who Twilight has searching for any suggestion as to the bird’s fate, the feather should lead you back to where it came from!”

The sound of two of those very guards echoed around a corner, the cue for Discord to simply vanish with a snap of his tail, leaving two very confused werewolves holding a feather for Golden Sun and Candlewick to find.

“Hey, where did you two get that?” asked Sun.

“Western foyer,” answered Dust, “we’ve been trying to find some guards since then but I guess they’re all on the other side of the castle or on jury duty.”

“Then it’s a good thing we found you!” exclaimed Candlewick, “come with us, one of the unicorn guards should be able to cast a tracking charm to lead us right to where its owner is!”

“Let’s just hope he’s still in Canterlot!” said Apple Bloom, both she and Lightning Dust galloping after the two guards in a race against time. Being the only non-flyer in the quartet, it would be very rough for her to follow them over long distances.

**Author's Note:**

Happy New Year!


	46. Book2 Ch.21 The Evil Within Us All - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. There is an Image half way through this chapter. It may not Transfer and may have to be deleted. I'll see what I can do.

Rise of the Furball Chapter 21: "The Evil Within Us All - Part 2"

  


All Raspberry Beryl knew was she was going to die. Alone. She’d been a fool to believe the words of a little filly, that she could trust anypony. Absentmindedly, the soul-crushed unicorn glanced over at the youngest princess in the group, the words on the floor meaningless to her as she gazed intently, if rather unfocused, at the Princess of magic. Twilight noticed and tried to convey how sorry she was in her expression, but really it was just more lies as far as Razz was concerned. Twilight had failed to keep at least two of her promises. Heliodor was out there, somewhere, the uncertainty of his condition making Razz sick to her stomach, and even though Apple Bloom and Lightning Dust had promised to give their support, Razz had noticed the two had not returned after the court recess.

Then, she barely recognized the judge speaking for more than a few sentences, which probably meant this was it. Even though she knew it was coming, she just crossed her forelegs on the table and rested her head on them, hiding the tears.

But before the judge could level the sentence, which despite Shining’s best efforts (usually involving him dramatically slamming the table with his hooves and shouting 'OBJECTION!' at the top of his lungs) was almost certainly going to be the death penalty, the back doors burst open.

“Wait!” cried out Candlewick, who then oddly hurried away from the doorframe, only to return a moment later with Golden Sun, between them was supported a birdcage. A birdcage with one very, very sick looking creature that was a bird in the vaguest sense of the word, the only suggestion of its identity being the faded green and gold plumage lying on the bottom of the cage.

“H-heelee?!” cried out Raspberry, horrified. Her interest in life possibly having been restored, she barely resisted the urge to rip the cage to shreds with a mere thought and reclaim her bird. At least until the cage had been brought to the center of the floor. She then proceeded to use her magic to rip the cage apart and reclaimed her bird.

“W-where did _this_ come from?!” demanded Blueblood, who suspiciously seemed more angry than surprised. “And I don’t believe I recall anypony saying to bring a birdcage into the middle of a trial, especially when it’s practically over!”

“Actually,” smirked Shining, “I think that’s my sister’s doing.”

“Indeed” said Twilight, though no humor was in her voice, “I had the guards looking for any trace of where Heliodor might have been taken, then in the event he was found word was to be brought back of the discovery, if not the phoenix himself. Evidently, wherever he was, it was…seriously detrimental to his health.”

“Um…” mumbled Fluttershy nervously, prompting everypony to look to her, “I’d say it’s a little more than that…” From the moment the phoenix had been brought in, Fluttershy’s attention had been on him and him only, the desire to respect the crown because that now included her friend Twilight being the only thing having stopped her from ripping the bird cage apart and giving its captive to Razz. But although she’d had quite the experience with phoenixes in their sickly-state right before the fiery rebirth they were famous for, Heliodor looked considerably _worse_ than Philomena had back then. In comparison, Philomena had also been rather energetic at this point right up to becoming a pile of ash, and that was just to have some light-hearted fun at the expense of everypony worrying about her. Heliodor had finally returned to his mistress, but he was clearly struggling to lift even a featherless wing.

“It’s going to be okay, Heelee, it’s going to be okay!” said Razz, trying to convince herself just as much as him of possible hope as she cradled her pet in her forelegs. Even though it clearly pained him, he managed to crack a small smile as his wing touched her cheek, before promptly combusting into nothing but a pile of ash that fell through her hooves. The only other creature in the world that had ever cared for her, who had done everything in his power at all times to ensure she was safe, was _happy_ , had been reduced to something she couldn’t even bury properly. And while she knew of phoenixes having a life-death cycle, Heelee had still been a year off from when he should have gone through his first cycle. No…this…this had been a death on account of a broken heart. He’d failed to be there for her when she needed him most and had only found his way back into her embrace just in time for death to claim him. He wasn’t coming back.

She didn’t try to stop it. No point now. She wailed hard, the tears coming hot and heavy, as she let the last of her lifelong friend drift away. But then she also realized that there was something else in the pile of ash. As the last bits of the former phoenix sifted through to the ground, she was left holding what looked like a hastily consumed bit of a monogrammed handkerchief, possibly Heliodor trying to tell her who had been responsible. He’d succeeded, as the piece within Razz’s possession bore what looked like a coat of arms. The same coat of arms that was on the cufflinks of the pony who for the past few hours had been insulting every last aspect of her life, now revealed to have gone even further.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” complained Blueblood, “it’s just a dumb bird.”

“ _Just_ a dumb bird?” she replied, her head slowly turning to glare at the one responsible for murdering Heliodor, “ _Just a dumb bird?!”_

“Uh, Miss Raspberry…?” said Shining, cautiously, “please, let us handle this, you don’t-“

“Oh, but I _do_.” seethed the unicorn, instantly setting everypony else on edge, even the alicons, “Clearly, it was wrong of me to think that anything _close_ to actual _justice_ was going to come of this, even if a _princess_ promised me that would be the case.” She instinctively knew that by this point the guards behind her were going to jump her, so right as they were about to tackle her she cast one of the most powerful spells she had on hoof.

Instantaneously, a pulse of dark energy irradiated from her horn and spread out to fill the entire room. Nopony moved – they couldn’t. It was as if she had just frozen them all in ice, without the ice. Even the alicorns hadn’t had time to cast a counterspell, while the effect wouldn’t last nearly as long on them they were still critically vulnerable. Blueblood, appropriately, had been frozen with a look that, had the action not been prevented by the spell, clearly indicated there was now bodily waste fluid backed up in him.

Most shocking of all, however, was what seemed to have happened with Razz. Her mane and tail, normally sky blue and lilac, was dotted with darker spots, the spot around her cutie mark having color shifted from raspberry red to a much darker shade of mulberry, her cutie mark seemingly going with the color shading and looking far less bright than before.

“All I’ve wanted in life was, well, an actual _life_ ,” said Razz, her unblinking gaze right into Blueblood’s eyes having never broken contact. “The thing that almost universally is guaranteed to every colt and filly, where they have loving parents who shower them with affection and raise them, where they go to school with their friends and learn their places in life when that life-changing moment occurs and they get their cutie marks. Then they grow up into adults, to start their own families and find happiness there with even more friends and live productive, cheerful lives.”

Still looking at Blueblood, Razz slowly got up, the rage building in her voice as she kept talking while taking her time to get close to the target of all her pent up anguish. “I didn’t get to be that lucky; instead I got stuck with a father who hated my guts because I was a physically weak unicorn who he’d been forced to take in place of my mother, who had died by birthing me. I got the lifestyle where I had to run from home when I was scarcely in my teens because everypony in town thought I was a monster and couldn’t find a stable place to live. In all honesty, the only reason I only put up with the hell that is my life was because of ‘a dumb bird’ who would love me for who I am when nopony else wanted to. But thanks to you; a wealthy royal who decided you deserved ‘a dumb bird’ and so stole from a pony who has lived in near poverty her whole life, Heelee is _dead_. And I am going to make you understand just how much that upsets me.”

One particularly strong blast of dark magic later, Blueblood found himself rocketing backwards into a wall, his path marked by the gradual release of his fear-induced self-relieving. But any relief to be found from regaining bodily control was instantly countered by the discovery his horn would not conduct magic, for there were now black crystalline growths all over it. He only knew of one other time this had happened to anypony; to Shining Armor as a matter of fact, except the cause of _his_ horn growths had been from one particularly infamous individual. Which could only mean one thing, a fear that was confirmed when he looked down from his ruined horn to the one he’d been trying to destroy just minutes ago and only then did he begin to understand the gravity of what horrors he’d unleashed.

Approaching Blueblood once again, Razz seemed to not notice the changes in her body. Her mane and tail were gradually shifting from its regular coloration to that of a jet black, highlighted by bright red streaks. Her coat changed as if from a falling shadow, assuming the same, much more subdued shade of red as that around her cutie mark, which itself had changed fully. Now the six gems around the border were all as black as the crystals on his horn, the blue heart gem now having turned to the same shade of raspberry the mare’s coat had been previously. But it was her head that scared him the most. While the sudden change to her teeth had now given her two very dangerous looking fangs, and her irises were now a blazing blood red, it was her horn that spoke volumes. It was the same shade as her new coat, as expected, but it had no ridges carved into its flawlessly smooth surface, instead it had a very scary curvature to it suggesting a much more… _invasive_ …functionality and around the tip it blended from the dark red into what looked like a splotch of dried blood.

  
“I may be Raspberry Beryl,” the thing that had once been that unicorn said, “but it is the blood of King Sombra which runs in my veins, his magic I call my own, and whose curse I bear. Make no mistake, however, because it will be _my_ wrath, _my_ anguish, and _my_ horn that will claim vengeance for Heliodor.” She then grabbed Blueblood in her magic by the neck, lifting him off the ground just enough that his hindlegs were hanging uselessly in the air. “But before we get to _that_ fun part, you’re going to tell me the justification for the biggest mistake of your life.”

“Wh-what do you want?!” pleaded Blueblood, his forehooves grasping at his neck instinctively to try and remove the force choking him even though he knew it wasn’t going to work.

“Why did you take him?!” demanded Raspberry, or more accurately screamed in his face, while the tears flowed freely down her face, “What was so important about him that you stole him like a common thief in the middle of the night, that you somehow treated him _so horribly_ that even his nature as a phoenix couldn’t have kept him alive, since we both know if he was perfectly okay he would have resurrected by now!”

“I…I don’t know what happened! Yes, I took the bird, something of that *gasp* beauty shouldn’t belong to scum like you! But all I did was put him in *gasp* my parlor! You think I would seriously go *gasp* to such lengths as to kill something as unique and valuable as that phoenix, for any possible reason?!”

“I don’t think, I _just proved it_. This entire time you were lobbying for my death because I used dark magic, well what better way for that to have been proven than my reaction to the only creature I could ever trust dying in my hooves, the one responsible for it conveniently being five feet away from me? But at the same time, while I may be the monster people can see on the outside, you’re an even worse monster on the inside!”

“Y-you wouldn’t dare!”

“Why? I don’t have anything to lose thanks to you! All I’ve got left now is the need to avenge Heliodor, and there’s nothing that’s gonna stop-“

**“DON’T DO IT!”** rang out Apple Bloom’s voice. The yellow filly stood, the inherent moral strength of her Apple bloodline evident in her stance, in the doorframe at the end of the courtroom.

“A-Apple Bloom?” stammered Razz, surprised at the appearance of a pony she’d been convinced was guilty of abandoning her. Her focus diverted, she dropped her chokehold on Blueblood. The prince landed in a puddle of his own fear, the fact he had more fear in the mental sense stopping him from immediately trying to run lest the crazed clone of King Sombra decided to make his death quick.

“Razz, Ah don’t know what exactly happened here, Ah’d have thought the fact we found Heelee in Blueblood’s house would-“ she then saw the random pile of ash in the middle of the courtroom, the kerchief corner lying in its center, “that totally happened, didn’t it?”

“Yes, but only because of this prick over here!” She wheeled around and fired a burst of magic at Blueblood, who had unwisely tried to make a run on the hopes he could make it through the doors. His hoof was a mere inch from them before he was frozen in mid-air, though this time completely encased in dark crystal save his muzzle, making him fear just how much worse she was going to be towards him by the end of this trial gone horribly wrong. “And no, Apple Bloom, even though Heelee was a phoenix, he was too ill for his magic to reincarnate him. He hadn’t even gone through a proper one yet…” Raspberry sniffed, all the things Heliodor should have been able to do by birthright as a phoenix now forever denied, “all I have left is this damn affinity for dark magic!”

“No, you’re wrong!” Apple Bloom proceeded to walk through the sea of magically frozen ponies as if the hall was empty save for her, the emotionally overwrought unicorn, and what was left of Heliodor. “Ah understand you’re feelin’ like there’s nopony in the world who is on your side, but you’ve been livin’ that way for so long that when you finally find ponies who _do_ care, who _do_ want to help, you shut them out!”

“B-but…”

“But _nothin’_. Ah told you that you could trust Twi and friends, can’t you see they did their best to help support you? Or what about those two old ponies at the Traveler’s Retreat, the ones Rarity said _you_ said were like the parents you never had? Or what about me and Dust?”

“B-but you and Dust promised me you would be here, but after the court recess-“

“We found a lead to where Heliodor was, only reason she and Ah weren’t back at the same time as Heelee was because Lightnin’ was waitin’ for me to finish usin’ the little fillies room. Buddy system and all that, y’know?”

Razz couldn’t find words to express how she was feeling. She was still beyond outraged at the fact Blueblood had been the main reason for Heliodor’s death, but at the same time she felt so stupid for having been blind to everything such that it required a filly to point out how she hadn’t been betrayed. Hell, even walking onto the scene of everypony, including the four most powerful ponies in the country, frozen in time and the responsible unicorn having turned much more evil (or as Razz had jokingly referred to herself in private on one occasion long ago, ‘more mary sue like’) and about to actually murder another pony outright, Apple Bloom had kept her faith in a pony she by all rights should have run screaming from back on Nightmare Night.

“Now, Ah did hear some of the stuff you were spoutin’, mainly the bit about how you have ‘the blood, the horn, and the curse of King Stupid-“

“King Sombra” corrected Razz, stifling a laugh at the filly’s mistake.

“That’s what ah said: King Sombero, but that’s not important. It’s powerful magic, in the wrong hooves there is every reason to be scared of it. But your hooves _aren’t_ the wrong ones, not when you are a good pony at heart.”

“Uh, have you looked around you? I immobilized everypony in here without even trying.”

“So? Twilight wasn’t even an alicorn when she made all of Ponyville go crazy for that old Smarty Pants doll Big Mac keeps locked in the chest under his bed, which was so bad that Princess Celestia had to come and fix everything.”

“I…I understand what you’re saying, Apple Bloom, but…but just _look_ at me! I’m the direct descendant of one of Equestria’s greatest enemies, I can do everything he did so much that my special talent of dark magic mastery prevents me from doing any other kind of magic! Who-“

Razz did not expect the sudden weight of Apple Bloom having launched herself at the unicorn, latching on with a big hug. “But you’re _not him_. King Sober was an evil pony, he never used his magic for anything good for anypony. You’re better than that; Ah’m only alive _because_ your magic was the only kind that could have kept…well, you know, _her_ away. And all you did with your magic normally was make gems. Who cared if they were fake, you sold them because they were pretty, which made ponies _happy_. Well, okay, except Spike, but really Ah think he has a problem and woulda choked the exact same way if you gave him a pile of real diamonds because he would have eaten them all at once.”

Silence reigned as Apple Bloom just hugged Raspberry tigher and tighter, as if that would somehow work. Amazingly it did, as the dark unicorn found the young filly's attempt at choking her somehow calming. Naturally, that calm was quickly broken.

“Okay, what the _buck_ happened in here?!” shouted Lightning Dust, who had appeared at the back door…with Philomena of all creatures. “Jeez, we leave you alone for maybe an _hour_ Razz, and you try to outdo everypony who has wanted nothing more than to torture that plothole Blueblood? Like, seriously, I’m pretty sure you didn’t need to do this to _everypony_ , although…”

Apple Bloom laughed. “Dash is totally gonna kill you for even _considerin’_ that, y’know.”

Lightning shrugged. “Her loss, then, though a handlebar mustache really would look good on her.”

Razz didn’t hear a word of the mustache discussion, her focus instead on Philomena. The red phoenix had immediately raced to the pile of ash that had once been Heliodor, a look of remorse on her face.

“Heelee never met one of his own kind,” said Razz, moving to the remains of her own phoenix and laid down to look at the still living avian on an eye-to-eye level, “Though from what I’ve heard about you, Philomena, he would have liked you.”

The phoenix seemed to consider Raspberry’s words for a moment, before taking wing. Razz wasn’t sure what was going on until Philomena banked around and promptly bathed the remains of Heliodor in bright crimson fire. Apple Bloom and Lightning Dust could only look on in horror at what probably was going to set off Raspberry again, since abusing Heliodor was evidently reaching a level above redundancy…until the ash began to move.

Stirred by the constant fire of the phoenix circling above, the ashen remains began to coalesce back into one large pile, before in an instant launching upwards into a spinning cloud of gray. After a few moments, the cloud compressed down into a singular point of mass before, in a brilliant explosion, the reborn Heliodor spread his wings and let out a mighty cry. His rebirth, however, had not given him back much energy, as he struggled to even flap his wings hard enough to hover. That quickly became a non issue, though, as a familiar and comforting black aura encircled him.

**“HEELEE!”** shouted Razz, tears once again starting to flow but now of sheer joy. Sitting back on her haunches, she brought her old friend down to stand on an uplifted leg where she could nuzzle him. “You have absolutely, positively _no_ idea how glad I am to have you back!” He nuzzled back with a happy cry of his own with his own tears of happiness, their reunion being permanent instead of a fleeting few minutes.

“Well, I think we can _all_ say we’re of the same mind, Raspberry Beryl” said the calm voice of Celestia, who had actually broken free of Razz’s petrification spell a while back but had wisely chosen to not interfere with what Apple Bloom was accomplishing, “especially since, while there remains much to be discussed in regards to you, your little outburst probably has taught us all more about the situation then anything we would have learned from this trial.”

“P-princess Celestia, please, I understand if you wish to heavily punish me,” said Razz, “but only do it on the grounds of what I did here, not on the sins of my ancestor whose legacy I carry on unwillingly.”

“Oh, no need to be so melodramatic about it,” laughed Celestia, who proceeded to cast a counterspell to un-petrify all the other ponies, though Blueblood remained encased in dark crystal, “If you truly were Sombra’s descendant in every way, you wouldn’t have spent so much time intimidating Blueblood and instead would have killed me and Luna right away, something he was never able to accomplish despite that being the main reason he took over the Crystal Empire in the first place.”

“To be fair, Aunt Celestia,” said Cadence, who had been alone exactly one millisecond after being un-petrified before Shining instantly appeared at her side to support her, “there were a lot of ponies who wanted to kill you two back then.”

“True, but Sombra had one of the better reasons. Nopony remembers, of course, but he actually was of royal blood and in line for the throne.”

“Wait a sec,” said Apple Bloom, now by Applejack’s side, “are ya sayin’ Razz-”

“I am, Apple Bloom,” Celestia promptly interrupted before turning with a warm smile to the confused Raspberry, “if Raspberry Beryl is truly the descendant of Sombra, then she is of royal standing.”

* * *

Applejack stumbled to her room. After the mess that had been the trial, Applejack cursed the fact she seemed to have a really bad reaction to being petrified by dark magic. Sure, Razz had been off her rocker at the time and profusely apologized for it, Applejack herself comforting the shell-shocked unicorn by confessing to her secretly about her time as a werewolf. Razz had given an unusually strange look upon learning of Applejack’s previous lycanthropy, but agreed to keep the apple farmer’s secret and was happy to have somepony to come talk to about dark magic stuff if she needed to. Still didn’t do anything about the massive headache that came as a result of being unpetrified, though, which Twilight theorized was more of a reaction between Celestia’s magic and Razz’s magic within Applejack, who despite being cured of lycanthropy would always be a little more susceptible to dark magic thanks to her blood’s immunity to the worst effects dark magic would bring.

The biggest headache was yet to come, however, and Applejack really didn’t want to think about it as she undid her mane and tail hair ties before stepping into the shower. The revelation that Raspberry Beryl was a true blooded descendant of none other than King Something-or-Rather, which explained why the unicorn was so good at dark magic, meant she was in fact important enough in the royal standing to be considered a pretender to the throne. Which, basically, meant all the nobility titles and other stuff King Snu-Snu had held were now by blood right the property of Raspberry. More importantly, the trial was thrown out of court thanks to Blueblood having violated a staggering number of regulations in having taken Heliodor from the evidence chambers, so Celestia decided to flaunt her ability as Princess to do whatever she wanted and now, tomorrow, Razz’s fate would be decided over a nice luncheon.

But it had been a _long_ stretch of time in-between being unpetrified and actually being allowed to leave the courtroom, as for whatever reason the Royal Guard wouldn’t let anypony leave until they had debriefed _everypony_ who had been in the room. It had even almost delayed Luna from doing her main duty of raising the moon at night, to which she only managed to do by breaking out the classic Royal Canterlot Voice to hurry things up. Having had to deal with a massive headache the entire time, Applejack took leave of her friends to go get a long night’s sleep in the hopes that the headache would be gone in the morning.

Thankfully, it was gone before she’d even fallen asleep, which she was thankful for. At least until the itching started. The fact she was so itchy surprised Applejack, normally the times she spent the night at Castle Canterlot were extremely pleasant with the softest sheets and pillows a pony could ask for.

“Rainbow Dash…” grumbled AJ, who she had to come to blame for this. Obviously the pegasus had put itching powder in her bed as a prank. The farmer would need to figure out a way to get back at the flyer, somehow, probably with Dust’s help.

But then the covers starting making her feel way too warm. To Applejack’s knowledge, there was nothing Rainbow could have done to her bed to make it both super-itchy AND too thick, at least not without having a deathwish by angering the entire cleaning staff of the castle. But Rainbow wasn’t that daring. Plus, now that Applejack thought about it, there hadn’t really been any point Rainbow _could_ have put together any kind of prank, the pegasus had been with her the entire day.

And then the answer stuck Applejack. She was super-itchy all over AND feeling unusually warm. And it wasn’t so much an ‘itchy’ feeling at this point as it was actual _pain_. It was all Applejack could do to grit her teeth and brace for what she feared the most, because there had been one specific time when this had happened before. When she had been launched into what had become a living nightmare. But she knew that, as the all-too familiar feelings coursed through her body, as her resilience failed to prevent herself from letting loose the signature cry of the night, there was no denying it.

Bronze Shield had been _wrong._

**Author's Note:**

I'm going to enjoy reading the responses to this one, aside from a few individuals I don't think anybody saw the events of this chapter happening.

Or Raspberry Beryl's 'true' form, which the image above was created from a stock vector purely to illustrate what she looks like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or its just huge? I don't know whats going one. But I guess I'll just carry on.


	47. Book2 Ch.22 Of Apples and Raspberries

Rise of the Furball Chapter 22: "Of Apples and Raspberries"

  


If Raspberry was asked what one of the worst things about being the most proficient dark magic user in Equestria was, she would immediately say her horn. While obviously the fact her horn was a dead-ringer for one of the most well-known features of her infamous predecessor, causing most ponies who saw its true form to run away in fear, the problems went deeper than that. Namely, she had to deal with the fact Sombra had manipulated the magic within him to shape his horn into a weapon, as both its curvature and razor-sharp tip were custom-made such that he could both impale and gore anypony he so desired. She, as his descendant, had inherited the more feral features of Sombra such as the fangs along with his blasted horn, but because she wasn’t a vicious tyrant with total disregard for others, her freakish forehead extension was extremely difficult to manage when she had to drop her disguise spell, which forced her horn to physically act like a regular unicorn’s. The only problem was her disguise spell couldn’t be set to be passive, needing her to be conscious while it was active, so she had to sleep in her unnaturally changed form.

She often mused that if pillows were sentient, they would fear her as the bloodiest murderer of pillows of all time. Unfortunately, on her usual income, burning through pillows rapidly was quite an expensive drain on her available funds, so having to sleep in odd positions often was the only way to ensure she could sleep on pillows at all. The fact there _was_ a spell, a really easy one, that could protect pillows from being destroyed by accidental impalement, pissed her off to no end because for all her power as the bastard heir of King Sombra, she was useless at any kind of magic that were not of the dark persuasion.

Thus, it had taken her a _long_ time to fall asleep in a way that was even remotely comfortable and posed no threat to destroying the most expensive bedding she’d ever been in contact with. So, it was understandable she was in a rather sour mood when some loud noise – she couldn’t really identify what it had been thanks to the magical soundproofing in the bedroom – had partially woken her up, and then slightly even more sour when she’d _just_ fallen back to sleep only to be rudely re-awakened by a loud banging at the door.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” she hollered, groggily attempting to get out of the bed only to fall off it instead. It was probably one of the guards stationed outside her room, since technically she was still under judgment for more Equestriani law violations than the top three criminals in the country _combined_ , going to ask if she’d known what that noise had been even though certainly other guards – probably batponies from the night guard fold- would surely have covered half the castle by now. It was her intention to make that fact clear to the poor sod on the other side of the door as punishment for interrupting her sleep.

So, when she threw the door open and found a ragged looking Twilight Sparkle on the other end, all pretense of giving some poor guard absolute hell disappeared. “O-oh, Princess Twilight! I had no idea it was you!”

“It’s fine, normally I wouldn’t bother anypony this late at night, and I’m sorry if I woke you up in any kind of bad manner,” apologized Twilight, who evidently was no happier to be awake at that hour than Razz, “but this is sort of a sudden problem.”

“No, no, I’m happy to do anything you need from me, your highness. Although, to be honest, I’m not sure what kind of problem you need me for that any other regular unicorn couldn’t handle, especially you since you’re the Element of Magic. No offense, of course.”

“None taken, but this isn’t something that regular magic can solve. I fear it may not even _be_ something that can be solved. Not by me, anyway, I already tried to merely find a solution and I just made it worse.”

Razz paled. “Oh, no, don’t tell me that asshole who stole Heliodor still has the anti-magic hex I put on his horn! I mean, yes, I was going to kill him, but surely you understand that I wouldn’t burn more magic energy to permanently decorate his horn. If the crystal chunks haven’t fallen off by now-“

“Half of Canterlot would be singing your praises if you’d let that pompous nitwit live the rest of his days like that, to be honest! But, no, it’s much more serious and we’re kind of wasting time just standing here, so if you’d please follow me.”

“If it’s alright, I’d like Heelee to come with us.” As if on command, the phoenix suddenly appeared as he swooped down and took his perch on Raspberry’s horn. Twilight noted how Heliodor’s feet positioned themselves and that Razz’s horn, clearly being more oriented for digging into an enemy’s chest than Twilight’s own horn, probably was able to do what had seemed impossible by virtue of her horn simply being different. Investigation would need to be carried out later.

“Well, considering you nearly killed the entire ruling class of Canterlot when you temporarily lost him, there isn’t much of a choice, is there?” nervously chuckled the princess as she led Raspberry and her pet to see if she could shed some light on the one thing nopony wanted to return.

* * *

“Oh, I _do_ hope this isn’t one of your pranks, Pinkie, a lady _does_ need her beauty sleep!” complained Rarity, her face still slightly damp from Pinkie’s dragging her to the bathroom and splashing enough water on her countenance to fill an ocean.

“This isn’t a laughing matter, Rarity!” countered Pinkie, her hair noticeably a tad less curly and bouncy than usual, “And I’d like to think I’m good at knowing what matter is laughing and what laughing matter isn’t!”

“Oh, yes, pardon me for being so skeptical. After all, it’s not like that _other_ time you and Rainbow teamed up to making me think it was raining lobsters with a raincloud and you throwing plastic lobsters at my window in the middle of the night!”

“You have to *snicker* admit that was pretty good, Rares.” Came the voice of Rainbow Dash, the pony attached to the voice appearing from an adjacent hallway with Fluttershy in a Rarity-colored robe alongside her, the humor in the blue pegasus instantly dying with her next line; “But trust me this isn’t a prank, unless Twi is trying to pull something on all of us.”

Rarity was shocked, turning to Pinkie for answers, “Why didn’t you tell me Twilight sent you? And why didn’t she get me personally like the rest of you?”

“She, uh, didn’t get me, either, Rarity.” Answered Fluttershy, “Rainbow said it was faster this way and, well, no offense, but Pinkie would have gotten you up faster than Twilight ever could have.”

“Oh…well, my apologies, Pinkie.”

With Pinkie and Rainbow leading the way, Rarity and Fluttershy followed their friends with concern. If what Twilight had told the two pranksters of their little group was as serious as to make Pinkie not even giggle at anything, then it couldn’t have been good. Especially not when their destination was revealed to be Applejack’s room. Or, at least right outside Applejack’s room, there was a small regiment occupying the area right in front of the door with an unusual mix of both day and night guards, bat ponies and regular pegasus ponies normally not even being awake during the same time periods, much less assigned to the same job.

“Oh, hey, girls,” half-yawned a tired Apple Bloom, sitting on her haunches and leaning on a slightly less sleepy Lightning Dust. “You know where Applejack went? All this commotion is ’cause nopony knows where she is, just that she’s not answerin’ the door.”

“To the contrary, Apple Bloom,” said Twilight, who came in from the other side of the hallway with Raspberry in tow, “I _know_ Applejack is in there. The fact she _isn’t_ answering that door is what concerns me.”

“Y-your majesty!” exclaimed one of the guards, “Princess Celestia ordered that the prisoner-“

“Miss Beryl is a _guest_ , soldier, the business involving her will be handled by the crown and after the unfair treatment she received earlier it would be wise to not give her reason to go off on anypony. Furthermore, while my fellow princess has requested that if Miss Beryl is to leave her room at any time, she is to be accompanied by at least two guards, these are extraordinary circumstances and so I am temporarily suspending her orders.”

“Understood, your highness.”

“That still doesn’t explain why Raspberry needs to be here, Princess,” said Rainbow, “In fact, how do we know something’s the matter with Applejack? She is something of a heavy-“

Lightning Dust put a hoof on her fellow pegasus, stopping her. “Because I’m the one who got the princess involved here, but the reason I know something is wrong…well, most of you already know the ‘why’ of it.”

“What?!” exclaimed Apple Bloom, “You don’t mean she’s-“

“Yep. ‘Fraid so. Didn’t any of you hear that noise from earlier?

Everypony blanched. The guards didn’t know what the cyan pegasus was talking about and felt like they should, the ponies from Ponyville afraid of what had become of Applejack, Raspberry afraid of what this meant for her, and Heliodor only because Raspberry had blanched.

Twilight, needing to be the leader as due her role as princess, was the first to get her voice back. “So, now that we’ve established why Applejack may not be answering the door, who will go in?”

To everypony’s surprise, Raspberry merely shook her head to regain composure before answering; “I’d say it’s probably for the best if I go in there.”

“No!” exclaimed Fluttershy. “You don’t know what we know-“

“Applejack told me earlier, after my little, um, ‘incident’ at the trial.”

“Oh, well, um, it’s probably still not a good idea to-“

Raspberry nickered in annoyance, “Look, while I appreciate the concern, if this is at all involved with what we all seem to think it is then I’m the pony for the job. It may not be obvious, but I had my throat torn out by an angry ghost a few nights ago and the only reason I’m not _dead_ is because I’m the closest thing to a resurrected King Sombra currently alive. So, just give me a few minutes and-“

She intentionally cut herself off as she teleported into the room without warning. Heliodor, caught off guard by the sudden disappearance of his roost, flapped madly for a brief second before landing on the ground next to Fluttershy, who was his favorite of the ponies from Ponyville. This went unseen by Razz, who found herself on the other side of the door and in a completely pitch black room.

“Wh-who’s there?!” came the unusually husky but still identifiable accent of the orange farm pony.

“Applejack, it’s me, Raspberry Beryl. Why aren’t you answering the door?”

“B-because Ah can’t…can’t let anypony see me right now! Personal business and all!”

“Come on, whatever it is, you probably look better than me. I mean, I’m an evil-looking red-and-black unicorn with a horn meant for stabbing things. No, wait, I’m all of that _and_ my mane is a total mess. Though I probably do still look better than Rarity when she isn’t wearing a solid half-inch of makeup on her face, come to think of it.” That got a stifled chuckle from Applejack, which initially was a good sign to Raspberry, prompting her to walk slowly to the source of AJ’s voice, “It’s going to be alright, but everypony is worried sick about you and-“

**“DON’T COME NEAR ME!”** barked Applejack angrily, “Please, for both our sakes, Ah…Ah don’t want to hurt you!”

“I’m afraid if you don’t want me to see you, Applejack, you’re going to have to make me stop walking clos-“

Applejack sprang from her spot in the corner to pounce on Raspberry, desperately hoping the unicorn would sense it in time but not see the horror concealed within the shadows. She got within a foot of Raspberry before she found herself grind to a halt in mid-air, floating with what felt like magic keeping her up. The room then instantly became bathed in light as Raspberry’s horn lit up like a Hearth’s Warming Tree, revealing what Applejack had been hiding.

“Oh,” was all Raspberry could make out.

“Y-yeah, now do you understand why Ah’ve been tryin’ to hide in here? Ah can’t let anypony see me like this! Me bein’ a werewolf…that was supposed to have been licked last year!”

“As you told me earlier, Applejack. But, clearly, whatever ‘cured’ you was wrong, and if there’s anything I’ve learned over the past few days, it’s no good hiding something like a monstrous appearance such as ours from those who really want to help. Now, I’m going to let in your friends and your sister, and we’re going to get to the bottom of why your lycanthropy is back, okay?”

“O-okay.”

“Good.”

* * *

Celestia woke from her trance to discover somepony was knocking at her door.

“Come in,” she hastily replied before getting back to work. No point in hiding it now. Especially when at the sound of the door closing she turned to see Discord assuming his true shape from his unicorn disguise.

“You know, it’s very unbecoming of one who is the princess of the sun to be doing late night business like this, summoning one such as I to a private chat and…late night reading?”

“Don’t play coy, Discord,” chided Celestia, turning to face the small mountain range of documents littering her bedroom’s floor, “I know it was you who gave Lightning Dust and Apple Bloom the feather and told them to lie about where they found it.”

“Are you accusing me of having stolen the phoenix? Why, I never!” The chimera pretended to be greatly offended with dramatic over-exaggeration of arm movements, “Even after I told you my motivations were purely in the interest of your mother, you treat me like filth!”

“But in stealing the phoenix long enough such that he temporarily died at just the right time to flush out Raspberry’s true form sounds like something you’d do. After all, you managed to spin the millennia-late sprouting of those plunder seeds that kidnapped me and Luna into giving Twilight an important ‘friendship’ lesson, did you not?”

“Oh, _please,_ I know you’re like your mother enough such that you got a slight kick out of watching the entire country go to pieces because their beloved ruling pair vanished for a couple of hours. You thought the whole thing Twilight caused with the doll was a riot, remember?”

“I beg to differ, I had no such-“

Discord raised an eyebrow. “You were laughing hysterically in the royal gardens right before you went to deal with it, which if you recall I’d been left in following my second imprisonment in stone. Like I said a while back, I wasn’t deaf to the world while stoned.”

Celestia just shook her head. “Oh, fine, I admit it was somewhat nice to see a little chaos happen because everypony looks to me and Luna as goddesses. Though on the bright side, it did help reassure Luna of her standing with the public, she’s still sort of touchy on how the public perceives her.”

“See? Everything worked out in the end, all thanks to a little unintended chaos!” Discord chuckled, “But, getting back to the business at hand, I suspect the impromptu sea of parchment in front of you has something to do with recent events? Also, just to clear the matter up, I truly had nothing to do with Blueblood stealing the phoenix, if anything it went against what is dictating my actions as per your mother’s requests.”

The alicorn nodded, acknowledging the latter topic and continuing the discussion on the former subject; “Yes, as you probably know by now, Raspberry Beryl isn’t in the census records. Her birth was submitted like any other foal, but it’s the only reference to her within any official documents. It’s as if there was something – or some _pony_ – was trying to hide her. Heliodor, too, for that matter, as any inquiries for registration for him as a pet came back negative.”

Discord smirked “You’re looking too hard, your highness, and so are overlooking the obvious.”

“What are you talking about?”

The dragonequis shrugged, “Think about it. This mare is scared of what other ponies think when they see her real body. It’s almost certain she skipped town because somepony learned the truth, that’s the impression I get as to why she never really settled down; so that when she inevitably needed to leave she could cut all ties easily. No point in registering anything, it would just make it harder to cover her tracks.”

“True…” conceded Celestia, “but as I discussed with Luna a little while ago, there’s still no explanation as to why a magic evaluator never was sent down to check her magic when it started to manifest.”

“Well, first off, she says dark magic is the only kind she can use, so obviously nopony wants to be responsible for raising a unicorn who at that young an age was skilled in the stuff Sombra loved, and second, I’d suggest looking at that a bit more closely.” Discord gestured to one particular sheet; a faded news article that had been attached to one of the many papers now scattered on the floor.

Celestia lifted it up with her magic to look at it up close, but when she realized what Discord had noticed about the document, her blood ran cold.

* * *

Back at Applejack’s room, the guard outside remained at their posts, though they didn’t know what was going on, for when Raspberry had opened the door she insisted only the princess and her personal entourage were allowed in. The reaction of said entourage to Applejack’s lycanthropy was mixed, though everypony tried to make the best of it.

“AJ, look at me, AJ, come on…” pleaded Twilight, who was trying to make direct eye contact with Applejack and not getting anywhere.

“Ah…Ah can’t! How am Ah supposed to look y’all in the face when Ah can’t even bear to look at mah own in the mirror no more?”

“Oh, please, we went through this before, darling,” said Rarity, “everything turned out fine then, and honestly you _still_ look better than me in the morning after I wake up and tidied myself up.”

“You mean like that one time on the train where you kept demanding we be quiet and you appeared with pickles on your eyes?” snarked Rainbow, trying to lighten the mood.

“The pickle slices were for preserving my beauty, Rainbow, you should try it some time.”

“Can’t. Lightning would probably lick them off my face when not trying to doodle a handlebar mustache on me.”

“Oh, come on!” whined Lightning, “I don’t like pickles, anyway. Though if you used ham slices-“

“GAH!” barked Applejack, pulling the sides of her hat down over her ears with her paws while taking care not to puncture her father’s headpiece, “Ah don’t wanna eat meat again, it took me forever to get the taste out of mah mouth, that terrible, awful taste!”

“Oh, right, the whole…yeah…” Dust grimaced apologetically, “Sorry, Applejack, didn’t mean to…um…”

“Well, if need be, I could always, er…” interjected Fluttershy, trying to get off the awkward topic,” well, that thing I was doing before when Applejack hadn’t fought Sable Loam, I could still do it.”

“But what about an alternative? Like, I don’t know… bones maybe? Oh! What about a bone-shaped cake?” Piped up Pinkie, naturally upbeat in the worst of situations, “No, that wouldn’t work, dogs like burying bones, not eating them. But why do dogs like burying bones? They never go back to get them.”

“Actually, Pinkie,” started Twilight, nerd mode engaged, “since dogs are descended from wolves, it an instinctual artifact of their biology of when they would bury unfinished food for later. Since over time the need for that was eliminated for dogs, they only like to bury them.”

“And since werewolves aren’t really connected to dogs biologically…” finished Fluttershy, “there’s no reason to assume bones are an actual alternative.”

“What Ah’d like to know is if there’s an actual alternative to bein’ a werewolf!” complained Applejack, somewhat oblivious to the discussion at hoof, “Ah mean, wasn’t it in that book of yours, Twi, where that one stallion said killin’ the werewolf who bit you was how you cured this damn curse?”

“Wait, what? Asked Raspberry, skeptically, “While I admittedly don’t know the first thing about how the whole lycanthropy thing works, if it’s a curse from dark magic…simply killing the one who spread it _isn’t_ going to remove it.”

“And that’s why I wanted you here, Razz!” declared Twilight, a bit of self-satisfaction in her voice, “But if that wasn’t the cure for lycanthropy, then what did Sable Loam’s death accomplish?”

The dark unicorn could only give a sheepish grin, “Well, er, any number of things, I can’t say right off the top of my head a definitive answer since I haven’t ever examined a lycanthropy spell, nor was I there for whatever happened when this Sable Loam was killed, though I’m guessing he was the werewolf who bit you, Applejack?”

“And Lightnin’ Dust. Possibly.” Added AJ, “We’re not sure how she got it, really.”

“Then if we’re going to get anywhere, somepony needs to tell me what exactly happened when the ‘cure’ was achieved.”

And so the ponies recounted the time Applejack was a werewolf, from the beginning when Applejack was first attacked in the salvaging of the car, her weird behavior that led up to her first transformation, the Cerberus incident, Applejack’s mysterious summoning by Sable Loam, the chase with the car and the truck, Applejack’s weird glowing after dealing the fatal blow, and how they’d all temporarily been transported to another plane of existence where even the spirits of Queen Faust and the Apple Parents had been sure lycanthropy had been extinguished. Then it was explained how Lightning Dust noticed her first, small changes months after he tussle with Applejack, Twilight’s ill-advised attempt to diagnose the problem herself landing Dust into full werewolf status, and how the only rational explanation for the delay being how pegasus ponies have thinner blood compared to unicorns and earth ponies. Raspberry took it all in, trying to work out the exact underlying events, which wasn’t easy as while she knew the ins and outs of dark magic like back of her hoof, she hadn’t been one to really exercise that knowledge in regular practice.

But she eventually came to some conclusion, which made her heave a heavy sigh. “Okay, I _think_ I can explain why the ‘cure’ didn’t work, but none of you are going to like it.” The eager, inquisitive looks on all present ponies indicated she should go on, which she did, “First off, I’m guessing my infamous ancestor made it such that the lycanthropy curse was something of a parasitic type curse nature, one that feeds off the internal magic well inside all ponies. Since non-unicorns have mostly passive magic conducted through their blood, the curse probably was refined to best work on earth ponies as for the experiments up in the Crystal Empire, that’s mostly what Sombra had to work with, and so it’s not as effective in the short term on pegasus ponies with their thinner blood, like Lightning.

“But what about unicorns?” asked Apple Bloom, “Ah mean, Fair Vista tore out your throat an-”

*THUMP* went Rarity as she immediately passed out from the gruesome mental imagery. Everypony glanced over quickly, saw she was fine, and then focused back on Apple Bloom.

“Yes, well, _ahem_ , she did that weird ‘now she isn’t a ghost-now-she-is-now-she’s-not’ kinda thing and made your throat bleed all over the place, all the while sayin’ you were either gonna die or become a werewolf yourself.”

Raspberry chuckled, “Well, the latter wasn’t going to happen, based on what you all have told me, lycanthropy can only be transferred from the infected to the victim if there is contact between moisture from one to the other, usually exactly as the legends say in saliva from the werewolf being in contact with the blood of the victim via a bite to a vital point like the jugular. Since Fair Vista was a ghost, she therefore didn’t have the bodily parts needed to generate the saliva to do the act in the first place.”

“But don’t that mean you should be dead?” pointed out Applejack.

“If I was anything like a normal unicorn, then yes, I should have died then and there. But, as a side effect of the dark magic within me, I naturally can recover from fatal wounds very rapidly. I don’t know if I could simply re-attach a limb if it was cut off, though I never want to be in such a position, but while things like having my throat torn out really bucking hurt when I am wounded, most fatal injuries are no worse to me than if you made a large cut on my foreleg with a knife, they’d heal up in practically no time at all.

“But enough about how I’m suddenly some stupid Mary Sue right down to the stereotypical color scheme, I’m a terrible example of what happens to unicorns if they get bitten. With regular unicorns, the bottom line is that while they too are about as slow to show any signs of lycanthropy as pegasus ponies, if the werewolf bites down long enough to prolong the connection, it doesn’t matter what kind of pony is the victim, they’re going to turn almost immediately.”

“But that still doesn’t explain what happened to Applejack, in either case,” said Lightning.

Raspberry took a deep breath, “yeah, I know, consider everything I just said a primer for how lycanthropy works. Reason being that, if Sable was basically a super prototype werewolf, his strain of the curse would be more potent than the regular, though after a thousand years where he was the only survivor, it’s probably the _only_ strain left in existence. Regardless, with his version of the curse, it’s got a secondary parasitic that creates a connection between the original werewolf and every single other pony he’s turned into a werewolf, giving him some control over them.”

“Like that howling thing he did on Applejack’s final night as a werewolf, “ rationalized Rainbow, “or, at least when she stopped being one for some time”

“Exactly. Killing him –and I do feel the need to stress this, but it didn’t need to be Applejack who killed him, whatever that Bronze Shield said was wrong since there’s no aspect of dark magic that works that way – severed the connection, and if it had only been a single strand curse connecting him and Applejack, that _would_ have cured her. But because it’s a two-strand curse, it only weakened it by half to the point Applejack appeared cured but was a passive carrier. Her blood mutagen that gives her immunity to the magic well drainage also helped keep the curse down, but it’s always been there.”

“But then…how did Ah turn _back_ into a werewolf?” asked Applejack.

Raspberry’s brow furrowed, “that’s where I’m drawing a blank, since the _only_ way for the curse to become active again is to be exposed for a moderate amount of time to dark magic. Not _any_ old dark magic, mind you, but the same general wavelength as the one who originally cast the spell, so you’d need to be exposed to magic similar to King Somb-“ The realization hit her hard. “Oh…oh, no…”

“Wait, isn’t your magic similar to King Sue?” inquired Pinkie, “And there was the whole freezing everypony thing you did with your magic, which Applejack reacted really weird towards? And then-“ Pinkie shut up when Twilight shot her an angry look, but the reason for Applejack’s return to lycanthropy was clear enough.

“Are you tellin’ me _you’re_ the one who made me into this again?!” raged Applejack, her self-control quickly fading as she stood up, “The _one_ pony in the entire world who is the bastard child of that damn king…and all because you did it accidently?!”

Any attempt by Applejack to once again attack Raspberry was stopped by Twilight holding the werewolf down with her magic. “No, stop it, Applejack! Hurting Raspberry won’t solve anything!”

“Ah know it won’t!” shouted the enraged werewolf, “But Ah’ m gonna make her understand what it’s like to be me and Lightnin’, that this isn’t somethin’ Ah can just brush under the table!”

“Ah don’t think we have a choice!” suddenly retorted Apple Bloom, who trotted over to position herself in-between the now horrified-at-what-she’d-accidentally-done Raspberry and the enraged apple farmer, “If what Ah remember from the whole affair is true, Sable was pretty darn close to King Sofa, and in that book Sandalwood and Lyra found about werewolves, it mentioned how King Somber actually was scared of what he’d made Sable Loam into! Don’t you think he’d have made it so no werewolf who got the chance to bite him would be able to infect him? Our blood carries a mutabot or somethin’ that makes us immune to whatever it is Lightnin’ has, so it’s probable you couldn’t make Raspberry a werewolf since she shares King Shamalayan’s blood!”

All of Applejack’s rage vanished in having to be verbally berated by her younger sister, leaving the room quiet. But then a burning question posed itself in her head. “Apple Bloom…what do you mean by ‘our blood’?”

The filly sighed. “Look, if what Raspberry says is true, then you were a werewolf the whole time you were ‘cured’, and you did more harm as a werewolf accidently than you ever have done as a full werewolf then or now!”

“What are you talkin’ about, Apple Bloom? It’s not like Ah went around bitin’ other ponies…oh, no, don’t tell me ah did anythin’ like what Ah think you’re about to say.”

“No, Applejack, you didn’t do nothin’. Least not intentionally and Ah don’t blame you for this…“ Apple Bloom, who up until that point had been avoiding direct eye contact with her big sister, then made it a point to look Applejack dead in the eye, “But it’s the only way to explain what Ah’ve been hidin’ from everypony.” She did not even blink as she joined her sister in wolf form.

Silence once again, this time it was both out of shock and of the somewhat awkward feeling in the air.

“So, I’m guessing you’re not going to let me throw a ‘werewolf sister’ party?” asked Pinkie to Twilight.

“Uh, no, as much as a party would help lighten the mood, Pinkie” replied the alicorn, “I think we need answers from Razz _and_ Apple Bloom more than anything right now.”


	48. Book2 Ch.23 Reflections

Rise of the Furball Chapter 23: “Reflections”

Spike the Dragon was bored. Several days ago, his hunger had made him instinctively eat a diamond broken off of Sweetie Belle’s crown that had turned out to be a disguised dark crystal, the act of consumption causing it to try grow again inside his throat. Had Twilight not acted as fast as she had and caused him to eject the blockage, it would have rapidly increased in size and punctured through his throat despite it being naturally thicker to accommodate his usual diet of precious gems and magic mail-sending fire. However, despite not having died from an inverse cricothyrotomy, the force required to launch the still-growing dark crystal shards from his throat had done considerable harm to his throat lining and so when he’d been declared stabilized, Twilight had gotten him rushed to Canterlot for the best medical care in the country. There, he’d been looked at by Princess Celestia’s and Luna’s own personal doctors, with great pains to even bring in one of the few dragons in the world who was recognized as a doctor under Equestriani law to ensure that Spike would not be failed where his adopted species couldn’t help him.

But, even though all the commotion in the end would mean he’d make a full recovery, the worst part was him needing to remain bedridden for a few days for his body to naturally regenerate the lining in his throat. And there was absolutely _nothing_ to do while bedridden except read, which due to having lived in libraries for most of his life, he usually did in his regular free time. So instead he instead tended to just resort to his imagined fantasies about Rarity.

“Mr. Spike,” interrupted the nurse currently on watch, “you have a visitor.”

“Oh?” he croaked, sitting up with some strain as the muscles in his neck flexed the still healing areas inside his digestive tract. While Twilight and the others visited frequently, they were allowed to just walk in to say hi when checking up on him. He didn’t know anybody else who would want to come see him otherwise. He was even more confused when indeed, Twilight first came around the corner.

“Hey, Spike!” she greeted, cheerily, “How are you holding up?”

“Better than last time you checked on me, Twi” he rasped, before coughing. Once done, he asked; “Though I thought you-”

“Spike, don’t talk too much, you’re still healing” began Twilight, “Plus, you really have two visitors.” She then looked at somepony (or someponies as she implied there were two) who were not seen behind the wall and beckoned for them to approach.

He first noticed the look of revulsion, then the cringing of the orderly on duty as she noticed the ‘visitors’, making him worry what was in store. There was some truth to the foreshadowing, as his visitors turned out to be none other than Raspberry Beryl and Heliodor. Well, he was sure of the latter, the former was implied by his roosting on the horn of who he believed to be Razz, but she did not look the same. Her colors were darker, especially her cutie mark which reminded him of the reason he’d been hospitalized in the first place. Her horn also seemed different, seemed _wrong_ , for it was grooveless and curved upwards with a strange blending from the middle to the top. In fact, she looked far more demonic than the pony who he’d first met waiting outside Golden Oaks back in Ponyville. Looked more like…King Sombra.

At least, that’s what she looked like on the outside, but her expression radiated something far different. Strangely, it was…fear. Fear of him? Of Twilight? Maybe both, as she looked for reassurance from the alicorn. The princess gave it, though the fear did not leave the unicorn’s face as she approached Spike’s bed.

“A-are you…?” nervously asked Spike, unsure of what was going on.

“Yes, Spike, it’s me. I’m Raspberry.” Replied the unicorn. The phoenix cawed as if confirming her identity. “This is…this is how I look in reality. The horn, the cutie mark…this is the true me. So, please, with that in mind…I’m sorry.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “You’re…sorry?”

“Yes, it’s my fault that you’re here, my magic that nearly killed you, so…I know you hate me, and I can’t fault you for that, nothing can make up for what I did. But please, I just want to know you know that I’m sorry for that, and-“

“Razz, chill, it’s cool.”

“Yes, but-wait, y-you’re not mad?”

Spike shrugged. “Shit happens-“

**“SPIKE!”** chastised Twilight.

“Oh, come on, Twi, I nearly _died_ , I think I get a free pass for swearing. Plus, considering the number of times _you_ got me into near-death situations and been torn up about-*ACK*”

“Please, don’t strain your throat, Spike”

“I’m *cough* fine enough. Anyway Razz here deserves some forgiveness, too. She wasn’t the one who made me eat the diamond, that was my own fault.”

“But…” mumbled Raspberry, “it still hurt you…”

“But nothing, you didn’t actively make Sweetie break her crown, which gave me the chance to eat the -*hack*- thing. It’s not your fault any of this happened.”

Raspberry smiled. “Thank you, Spike, after everything that’s happened because of that, my conscience can rest easy now that I know you don’t hold me responsible.”

“Yeah, no problem. Though…do you mind explaining what the deal is with your horn? It sorta looks like King Sombra’s, which _does_ raise quite a few questions I’d like answered.”

Twilight laughed, though with a tinge of regret in light of what those answers would reveal to Spike, who was still unaware the trial had even happened. “It’s a long story, number one assistant.”

* * *

“Ohhhh…” moaned Rarity, blinking uneasily as consciousness returned to her, “wha…what happened?”

“You passed out,” Lightning said, nonchalantly.

“But it was the middle of the night, last I remember, did I really sleep for that long?!” exclaimed Rarity, who proceeded to hurry to the mirror and check her mane for any undue creases. There wouldn’t have been any, since Rarity’s magically-enhanced hairspray ensured her mane would keep whatever shape she desired it to be no matter how many times she dramatically fell backwards in a dead faint, but old habits didn’t go easily.

“Well, sorta,” explained Rainbow. “The first time you passed out, which was last night, was in reaction to Apple Bloom going into detail about…” Rainbow had to be careful, lest she make the same mistake Apple Bloom had and cause Rarity to faint yet again, “…well, remember how Applejack was turned into a werewolf that one night in the forest?”

“Uh, yeah, we were looking for that…whatever the Crusaders built, right?”

“Yeah, basically the same thing happened to Raspberry when she was trying to save Apple Bloom from Fair Vista’s ghost, except she didn’t die from…the _injury_ and didn’t contract werewolf-ism.”

“I think you mean ‘lycanthropy’, Rainbow,” Fluttershy corrected.

Rarity just rolled her eyes. “Well, can’t be helped, I suppose, the graphic mental imagery was far from pleasant…hold on, you said the _first_ time, you’re saying I fainted again between then and now?”

“Yeah!” exclaimed Pinkie, “you actually woke up about three hours ago in Applejack’s room, then after we brought you back up to speed by mentioning Applejack had somehow spread her curse to Apple Bloom, who is now I guess a were _puppy_ because she’s still a filly, you said something like ‘ _how dreadful!’_ and passed out again, so we moved you back to your room!”

Rarity had stopped fumbling around with her mane, too busy staring at Pinkie with a raised eyebrow of skepticism. When the fashionista finally realized Pinkie had actually stopped talking, she shook her head to stop gazing into empty space. “Well, um…thanks for moving me back here, but is that really what happened? Apple Bloom _is_ a werewolf-

**“PUPPY!”** insisted Pinkie.

“Um, Pinkie?” piped up Fluttershy, “the proper term here would be were _cub_ , not puppy.”

“But if Apple Bloom had a choice, she’d choose puppy over cub.”

Rarity just sighed and facehoofed before amending her statement, “-er, were _puppy,_ in addition to Applejack’s condition relapsing to her having the curse again?”

Fluttershy nodded, “I’m afraid so.”

“B-but _how?!”_ stammered the stunned unicorn. “She killed that brute in the forest, there’s no possible-“ she stopped herself when she realized she had unintentionally gone muzzle-to-muzzle with the timid animal caregiver to the point of backing the pegasus into a corner, “I’m sorry, Fluttershy, you know how worked up I can get.”

“Ain’t _that_ the truth!” snarked Rainbow, to which Pinkie giggled alongside.

Fluttershy shot both of them a disapproving look before turning her attention back to Rarity. “It’s alright.”

“Thank you,” said Rarity, “Now, please do continue, darling.”

“Right. After you passed out, we explained to Raspberry everything anypony could recall about Applejack’s previous time as a werewolf.”

“I was meaning to ask why Twilight had brought her along, the poor mare had been through enough just hours before at that mockery of a just trial.”

“Well, if you remember, lycanthropy was a creation of Sombra’s dark magic, so Twilight correctly figured if anypony would understand why Applejack had reverted, it was Razz for obvious reasons. However…”

“However, _what_ , Fluttershy?”

“Well, um…”

“Tell me.”

“It’s sort of hard to explain…”

“ _Tell me_.”

“Are you sure? Considering merely telling you Apple Bloom was a lycanthrope didn’t end well-“

“ _Tellmetellme_ TELLME! _”_

“Oh for-!” nickered Rainbow, “Look, Rarity, Razz basically said Applejack had never been cured in the first place!”

Silence, then: “You’re joking, _surely_ this is some bad joke on your part,” pleaded Rarity.

Pinkie shook her head, her composure in that rare state where not even the faintest hint of a smile was on her muzzle. “We don’t know if she’s right or not, but since she’s knowledgeable about a kind of magic even Twilight admits she can’t truly understand, we have no choice to believe her.”

“But that just throws more suspicion into this! I mean, I refuse to believe Raspberry would lie, she’s clearly the same pony who sold me gems and seemed downright mortified when she learned what happened to Spike because of pure circumstance – speaking of whom, has anypony checked in on him today?”

“Twilight’s there right now, as a matter of fact,” Fluttershy answered, her bashfulness in light of Rarity’s assertiveness fading somewhat. “Along with Razz and Heliodor, since the fact it was her magic that harmed Spike, so she’s there to apologize.”

“I hope he can forgive her, since it truly wasn’t her fault. Really, it’s mine in a morbid way, she wouldn’t have made that diamond for me if I hadn’t begged her for it. But, nothing we can do about it now.”

“Yeah,” agreed Rainbow, “plus, that luncheon with the princesses is today, the one where we’re going to discuss what to do about Raspberry being both a powerful dark magic user and allegedly the blood heir of King Sombra."

“Ah, right, the luncheon!” Rarity blurted. “I’ll need to look my best! We’ll _all_ need to look our best! Especially Razz, the poor dear will probably need some fashion help with styling her mane, and don’t even get me started about Appleja-wait, if we’re here and Twilight’s with Razz and Heelee visiting Spike…where are the other three of our group?”

“Still in Applejack’s room,” answered Pinkie, “and trust me, you do _not_ want to go in there!”

* * *

“Ah’m tellin’ you, sis, Ah’m sorry for keepin’ it a secret from the family for so long!” Apple Bloom moaned, hints of tears in her eyes.

“Don’t matter,” snapped back the orange mare, “the point is we coulda done somethin’ about this _ages_ ago, only if you’d told us! At the very least, it woulda given me an indication about me never havin’ been cured in the first place…”

“To be fair, what would that have accomplished anyway?” asked Lightning, “It’s still not clear _how_ she contracted lycanthropy, we still haven’t figured out how _I_ got it either, for that matter!”

“Last Ah checked, _that_ was between you and Ah fightin’ when you were losin’ that dumb race or Sable Loam takin' a bite outta your throat while you were sleepin’ off a hangover!” Applejack’s tone was slowly increasing in what could only be retrained aggression, evidenced by her canines starting to change into fangs and her eyes subtly shifting ever so slightly to a yellow-green coloration.

“Hey, you think it’s any easier for me? YOU have some dumb-ass immunity to the curse that prevents you from becoming no better than some feral animal!” retorted Dust, she too starting to bear fangs and her pupils becoming a lighter hue of orange. At the rate things were going, the two werewolves were going to relive the fight they’d had before, only this time both were quickly becoming inequine predators filled with bloodlust.

Thus, it fell upon the werepuppy to stop the inevitable. “Seriously?! Are you two _really_ gonna throw down here?!”

“Well, that’s what _she_ wants!” answered Dust and AJ simultaneously, both now having dropped any subtlety and assumed their canine complexions. Any actual fighting was prevented, however, by Apple Bloom forcing herself in-between them after having to change forms herself.

“No, this isn’t what either of you want! Look at yourselves, Ah know both of you don’t want to throw away who you are as ponies, but this is _exactly_ what is gonna to happen if you two don’t stop!”

“Stay outta this, Bloomie, you don’t understand-“

“ _Ah don’t understand?!”_ screamed the cursed filly, her razor-sharp teeth barred in the direction of her sister, “Ah think Ah actually _do_ understand, AJ, just 'cause Ah’m a filly _don’t_ mean Ah don’t have the same problems you do!”

Lightning Dust cocked an eyebrow when she realized just what that implied, even if Apple Bloom didn’t realize it. “Uh, no, Apple Bloom, trust me, you _don’t_ have the same problems, at least not _all_ of them.”

“And how is that?!”

“Oh, Celestia…” gasped Applejack, “Don’t tell me you had _that_ happen while you were-“

Lightning laughed “Oh, yeah, I didn’t dare mention it to you back when I dragged my sorry plot to your farm that day, but one of the contributing reasons for why I got booted from my job in Baltimare was my supervisor getting convinced I’d somehow angered every dog in the city. Naturally, I got really crabby about it, both because of…you know, and because I didn’t understand what was going on. When you told me about your own fun with _that_ , though…”

Apple Bloom growled impatiently, “Okay, so maybe Ah _don’t_ have the exact same number and kind of problems as you two, but Ah think Ah’ve got the majority! This curse makes me wanna run around at night, mah hearin’ is so good that Ah keep gettin’ headaches from everypony talkin’ in school, and Ah have a cravin’ for meat somethin’ bad!”

Applejack couldn’t argue back to that immediately, the realization that she’d been regarding Apple Bloom’s points as irrelevant setting in and that in a way, the shared issues were even more of a problem for the little Apple as while Applejack had worked around the meat issue through the help of friends, there was no possible way Apple Bloom could have been eating like a carnivore without somepony knowing. “Apple Bloom…have you actually _eaten_ meat?”

“No, thankfully,” denied the filly, much to Applejack’s relief, “Ah think it’s not so much the actual thing as it is just the taste. ‘Course, Ah kept on worryin’ you’d find a doggie treat bag in a way that pointed to me eatin’ em.”

Applejack facehoofed. “Y’know, Ah _was_ wonderin’ why Winona was burnin’ through those treats so fast. Though, admittedly, while Ah’m not happy about you stealin’ em, Ah’d much prefer that over you havin’ to consume the real deal.” She shuddered, even _as_ a werewolf, Applejack had to work hard not to throw up whenever she ate meat.

“Yeah, Ah’m sorry ‘bout that, sis, but…the reason Ah wanted to keep this a secret from you is, well…after what you went through back then, the worryin’ about how other ponies saw you, the troubles with Sable Loam and Iron Will, and then how that all tied back to Ma and Pa…the family’s been troubled far too much with this werewolf nonsense, 'specially you of all ponies, and Ah didn’t want to put the family through all of that again.”

Applejack moved forward and embraced her sister, “Oh, Bloomie…Ah’m sorry for bein’ mad at you earlier,” she then looked up at the non-Apple werewolf in the room, “and you too, Dust.”

“Enh, no sweat,” replied the pegasus, returning to regular form. “I remember I didn’t take it too well when I figured out what was going on with me, but for somepony like you to have to go through lycanthropy a _second time_? If it was me, I probably would have done something _really_ bad by now simply by being so uncontrollably distraught, so in comparison you have _amazing_ self-control right now.”

“Yeah…” sighed Applejack with a smile, happy that the situation ended without anypony being hurt. Just then, there was a knocking at the door.

“Hey, Dust! AJ! Apple Bloom!” came the voice of Rainbow, “You girls getting ready? It’s almost lunch time!”

* * *

“Your highness, I _must_ object to this!” pleaded Captain Stonewall, “I don’t know what the princess was thinking when she had this set up, but –“

“Permission to speak freely, Captain,” replied Shining Armor, fiddling with his dress shirt and regalia in preparation for the luncheon.

Stonewall, who was appropriately named for his temperament and not letting almost anything bring down his steadfast military stance, instantly became the much more friendly and slightly nervous pony he was behind it all. “O-of course, Capt-I mean, _Prince_ Armor, the guard regulations don’t really apply to you now that you’re of a higher station.”

“Trust me, Stony,” said the ex-captain, doing his best to reassure his former subordinate by using an old nickname, “you think the paperwork as a guard captain is bad? At least there you have rules that must be followed and ponies tend not to question your authority. But as Prince Regent? Not only do I have to rule an entire annex to Equestria that, honestly, is as old fashioned as you can _get_ though to be fair it was missing for a millennium, and the whole Crystal Empire was doubting my legitimacy to being the beloved of ‘the Crystal Princess’ or so they sometimes refer to Cady as.”

“While I understand, your high-“

“Seriously, enough with the formalities!” chuckled the prince, “While it is commendable that you’re maintaining professionalism here, I’m no different than I was back when I was your boss. Do I need to order you to drop formality?”

Stonewall cringed in embarrassment. “N-no, I get it, Shiny.”

Shining just shook his head in amusement, “As good a soldier as you are, Stony, I still can’t figure out how you managed to get past the recruiter’s scrutiny. But that’s not important, what _is_ important, though, is that with my own experience in regards to Ms. Beryl leads me to think she is not a threat despite her ‘outburst’ at the trial.”

“But what she did there is _exactly_ what I’m concerned about! I had the guards set up every imaginable defense against a powerful dark magic user running wild in that courtroom, every single one of them useless against her when she snapped and went for Blueblood.“

Shining raised an eyebrow and turned his head to look directly at his successor, “But are you _sure_ they were designed for that kind of dark magic? While I have no doubt the guards you posted in there were trained to deal with the usual worst case scenario of a dark magic ‘master’ running ramshod with unnaturally strong fireball spells or trying to raise the dead, they wouldn’t stand a chance against somepony on Sombra’s level.”

“Neither did the princesses, which considering Celestia _and_ Luna took down Sombra years ago, means this pony who Celestia has invited _to lunch_ is more powerful than the very pony she claimed to have inherited her power from!”

Suddenly came the voice of Princess Cadence: “Which is why the fact she _as a pony_ could be a good thing to have on Equestria’s side.”

“Cady!” blushed Shining, jokingly, “I thought we agreed you’d knock before coming into the walk-in-closet!”

“That’s only when you’re going to wear pants, dear,” countered the alicorn, “and since I’m positive you haven’t owned any in years after outgrowing your ‘Lucky Grandmaster’ pants from highschool, I don’t think I’m in trouble for breaking rules, am I?”

“Lucky Grandmaster?” asked Stony, confused.

“Okay, for the record, I didn’t ‘outgrow’ them," contested Shining, "Twilight decided to try making a bow out of the pantlegs back when she was still getting the hang of basic levitation, which she did but managed to make the knot so tight that the pants were completely unwearble. And yes, before you go into _that_ tirade from high school again, they _were_ my lucky pants, since all of my best sessions of playing Ogres & Oubliettes were when I was wearing those pants.”

“Still can’t believe I fell in love with such a nerd.” Joked Cadence, walking over to kiss her husband on the cheek. “But there will be time for mourning the loss of your nerd pants later, right now we have a luncheon to attend. And yes, captain,” her attention turned to the active guard in the closet, “I do trust my aunt in this. If Raspberry’s intentions were to take out the royalty and claim Equestria for her own much as Sombra wished to, she would have not wasted time with a weakling like Blueblood instead of taking out all four princesses, the only ponies who can really go up against her power provided there was time to prepare. That’s why she overpowered the countermeasures yesterday, there was no implication she was capable of a locomotus morte spell that could affect that many ponies regardless of their own magical ability.

“Plus…” continued the princess of love, her tone becoming more somber, “the luncheon probably will be beneficial for everypony, especially Raspberry. The emotions she’s had bottled up for so long…I honestly think those are more dangerous than the worst dark magic spells she could throw at anypony, since while power is one thing to have, as long as it’s used responsibly it can be rendered harmless. But when insanity or desperation by any reason is given control…well, I think it goes without saying that had Apple Bloom not stopped her in time, Raspberry would have made an example of Blueblood in a manner far worse than anything Sombra had ever done to anypony.”

* * *

“Are you okay, Raspberry?” asked Twilight, having escorted the dark unicorn and her pet from the infirmary where Spike still needed to rest all the way to the grand doors blocking the way into the Royal Banquet Hall where the luncheon was to be held. Only before they arrived there, Rarity had intercepted them and dragged the duo to her own chambers.

“Are you crazy, Twilight, darling?” questioned back Rarity, “Of course she’s not alright, she is in no condition to attend a private luncheon with royalty!”

Raspberry could only whimper slightly as she continued to suffer under the designs of the fashionista, who had practically kidnapped her the second upon returning to the castle proper with intentions to make her look “proper”, right down to the diamond-marked pony having partially converted a portion of her room into a stylist salon complete with spinning chair. “Miss Rarity, please, you don’t have to-“

“Oh, but I _must_! Consider this making up for how much I still owe you for all those gems you got me.”

Raspberry’s dark red coat immediately assumed a shade close to that of her “normal pony” disguise, though more out of shock than magic. “B-but you don’t owe me anything for those! Heck, I still feel bad for never telling you the truth about them before and charging you for knock-offs!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Raspberry! While true, the things you sold me were not the real deal, they were small and trivial enough that I only really ever used them for trimmings on my outfits. Admittedly, most designers would use glass ones for the same purpose, but the glass ones don’t have the look and feel of real precious stones, so I’m paying for the quality of the imitation I guess. Since I doubt dragons would try to eat pony dresses, nopony will probably ever know the difference unless outright told.”

“R-really? You truly think that? But even then, I don’t deserve your generosity, almost everything about me that you knew back in Ponyville was a lie, a cruel deception.”

“Oh? So you _don’t_ have any employment history at the Traveler’s Retreat? You manipulated Cashmere and Ascot into opening their residence to you out of the kindness of their hearts? That you never were the pony who has been roaming the world all her life, the shy and secluded unicorn who only sold cheap gem fakes purely to survive? The pony who, even after her secret was revealed by almost complete accident in the worst way possible, was willing to throw away her own freedom to protect a filly from a threat even we, the Elements of Harmony, failed to stop?”

“What?! N-no! That still doesn’t change-“

“Razz…” interrupted Twilight, “just listen to Rarity, hear what she has to say.”

“Yes, please do what your princess asks of you,” added Rarity, taking Razz’s head into her hooves and making it look right at hers. “Now, answer me with a 'yes’ or a ‘no’, okay?”

“O-okay…” answered Raspberry.

“Close enough. Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that you’ve convinced yourself that Raspberry Beryl, the one I knew, the one _everypony_ knew, is only as deep as the disguise you use, the one hiding how fate forced your body to become twisted in the image of a fowl and corrupted noble. That _isn’t true_. While for all I know, this is in fact a lie and you’re just as evil as Sombra, but being part of the most important group of ponies in all of Equestria has taught me many things like how to see a pony for who they truly are where it matters, and with you that is the inside.” She jabbed the air just in front of Raspberry’s chest for emphasis. “If it means anything to you, the way ponies see me is with a fair degree of artificiality, too.”

“What!?” exclaimed Raspberry _and_ Twilight simultaneously, the former shocked at the alabaster unicorn even claiming such a thing, while Twilight caught the deeper undertones heavily enough to flare her wings, “Are you saying there’s more to it than just the fake eyelashes?”

In light of having made such a statement, Rarity stood steadfast and sure of herself. “Yes, the pony you see me as isn’t quite the pony I was born as. It’s not nearly as elaborate as your secrets, Razz, but…” Rarity looked around as if suspicious of other listeners, “both of you have to promise that what I’m about to tell you _never leaves this room_ , got it?”

Razz, Twilight, and Heliodor at Razz’s insistence all instinctively Pinkie Promised.

“Alright, in truth, the way I normally talk, like this? It’s not my natural accent, it took years to get right though thankfully mother and father think it’s cute and don’t tell anypony about it. My _real_ voice…” her accent suddenly dropped an octave in addition to everything about proper pronunciation of words Rarity usually strived for,“…well, y’all c’n git why Ah can’t go ‘round soundin’ like dis, can’t ya? Nopony would take me seriously as a fashionista while soundin’ as somepony who don’t really need be concerned wit' high society.”

Rarity took the dumbfounded, gaping jaws of the not-fake-accented unicorn, alicon, and phoenix as a sign of understanding and so cleared her throat, the pitch and pronunciation immediately going back to that of the socialite the outside world saw her as.

“*ahem* It’s not something I show off, obviously, but for you, Razz, you put confidence in us as good ponies, so you deserve confidence to be put in you as well. Sure, your horn is quite unsightly to be honest-“

“I think Heelee is the only one who actually likes it, I sure as hell don’t”

“- but other than that, all you do is change your colors. In fact, I’d go so far as to say your ‘disguise’ is in fact more evocative of you, since the stigma of dark magic doesn’t suit a pony like you who is truly good at heart.”

“Thanks, Rarity, that…means a lot.” said Razz, blushing slightly “but I don’t want to go back to my false colors just yet-“

**“NO!”** declared Rarity as if on impulse, “don’t call it that, instead let’s say they are your…’preferred’ colors?”

Heliodor cooed in approval, to which Razz smiled, “Alright then, my ‘preferred colors’, but all the same I can’t go back to them just yet. Until my fate is decided on by whatever happens in the luncheon, I want to show I recognize what I am, to not hide how ugly I am on the outside, if only to prove to everypony I am truly no different than them.”

“Oh, I think ‘ugly’ doesn’t suit you, it never did to begin with but especially not now,” said Rarity, gesturing to the mirror. Razz realized she hadn’t seen what Rarity had done to her mane, but as she turned in the salon chair to see it, the horrors that had been perceived were instead the complete opposite. Normally her mane was simply a more jagged curve, vaguely similar to Rarity’s in a way, but now her mane was perfectly smooth, her bangs having been draped over such that her hair now completely covered the junction between her elongated horn and her skull, making it seem to actually fit in with her appearance than the unnatural mutation it was. From her forehead, her mane continued down the right side and hung off her head without looking unbalanced. For the first time in her life, Raspberry Beryl looked at herself in a mirror for what she really looked like, and did _not_ fear everything that her colors, horn, and outright appearance heavily implied. She actually looked pretty. She actually looked like a regular pony.

But even more so, Razz realized Rarity was right, too. She’d always been a pretty pony, but had let herself be defined by a pony by whom she barely even shared a bloodline with. She’d let herself be defined by her father, who had tried to mold her into something she was never destined to be. But now was her chance; to truly define herself as her own pony not only in the eyes of the princesses, but more importantly herself.

_Let's just hope the princesses will see things that way, too_ thought Razz, but a glance over to a smiling Heliodor was all she needed for a smile to grace her muzzle. Maybe everything would turn out okay in the end after all.


	49. Book2 Ch.24 The Fresh Princess of Nowhere

Rise of the Furball Chapter 24: “The Fresh Princess of Nowhere”

For some, the royal banquet hall was far and away the largest room built solely for the purpose of food consumption they’d ever been in, though normally the hall was reserved for state dinners with foreign dignitaries and was used mostly for hosting extremely large parties like the Grand Galloping Gala, not a solitary group of thirteen ponies and a phoenix. For others, it was a smorgasbord of food unlike anything they’d ever seen before, the idea that the image-sensitive higher socialites actually needed all this food went against how the majority of them desired attractively curvy, sexy frames for their bodies while at the same time often attempting to copy the long legged look of the alicorns.

But for two specific ponies, they were of viewpoints that none of the others could see through. Seated at opposite ends of the table, Raspberry Beryl and Princess Celestia were directly in front of each other. The princess, forever keeping her calming, motherly smile to mask her true emotions, was well practiced in the art of watching somepony else without making it obvious. Most of the time she wasn’t even looking directly at Razz, instead her attention seemingly directed at either side of the table, depending on who was speaking. But not once was her primary focus off of Raspberry. The whole idea of having the luncheon, against the advice of every single pony who served as advisor to her whether or not she’d actually given them the post, was to put Raspberry Beryl into a more…casual situation. The trial had been an outright disaster thanks to Blueblood, but nonetheless valuable clues to the truth about the unicorn at the other end of the table had been revealed. Not of her power, since that had been clearly demonstrated enough, but of her true character. For whatever reason, Celestia found it rather easy to draw parallels between Raspberry Beryl and Twilight Sparkle, for both had their shyness and could still be naive about things, but the determination and courage they had to stand up for what they thought was right…the similarities could not be denied.

Yet, at the same time, Celestia couldn’t quite judge Raspberry’s nature. Twilight may have been reserved most of the time, but the sun princess had always been able to read her protégé like the proverbial -and rather appropriate- book; Raspberry, however, was in comparison the proverbial black box. In this social setting, she seemed willing enough to engage in small conversation with the other ponies, but she was continuously on edge it seemed, never venturing to start a new topic of discussion, never talking out of turn. Of all the ponies, she seemed to be eating the slowest of them all, even her pet phoenix was devouring pears at a faster clip, Celestia wasn’t even sure Raspberry had even made any indication she wanted second helpings. This was a pony that was clearly uncomfortable, but whether it was her own decision to not assume her less scary disguise to hide the tell-tale traits marking her as Sombra’s descendant, the nervousness of having to face judgement from Celestia directly, or that she actually made Fluttershy look as social as Pinkie Pie in comparison.

And _then_ there was the fact Celestia was, for the first time in centuries, unsure of how to actually handle this situation. If Raspberry Beryl truly was the descendant of King Sombra, then she was the first pony of true royal blood inside Castle Canterlot and in terms of succession was enough to make her next in line should all four alicorns become unable to rule, maybe even enough to be more of a princess than Twilight. But of more concern was the massive amount of deja-vu Celestia couldn’t shake off. Sombra had been one of the first real threats to her rulership, having challenged her at a luncheon very similar to the one she was in right now, in Castle Everfree’s royal banquet hall. She’d managed to hold her ground at the time, if only barely, but the experience of having to be at the end of his hostility had been enough to break her into tears once she was in the safety of her private chambers. Now, she had inadvertently set things up such that it was happening all over again. Everything Sombra had become now sat across from her, even thousands of years later and dodging her influence by who knows what reasons, and though back then Sombra wasn’t anywhere close to being reserved in personality, he’d been just as difficult to read. This time, however, the most important ponies in her life were now all gathered in one place, and she would gladly lay down her life for any one of them. She could only hope that this terrible, terrible mistake of hers wouldn’t yield the catastrophic results.

“Princess Celestia…” Raspberry stated evenly, “it’s kinda creepy how you’ve been staring at me with that fake smile for the past few minutes.”

“Huh? I, what, um?” Celestia couldn’t believe how off her game she was being: first the most important ponies she could possibly have gotten together at once now in possible danger, and now she’d let herself be caught in her intentions to watch Raspberry who seemed to have known the smile wasn’t genuine.

“It’s alright, I knew what you were going to do the second we sat down across from each other, and admittedly I was doing the same thing you were doing.”

“You were staring off into space like an idiot?” joked Celestia, though she wished her smile was more convincing.

“No, trying to get a feel for who you are and what you think of me. It was easy since it would appear our feelings toward each other are mutual.”

“Whpapht’s gvohin’ oahn, nhohownh?” garbled Apple Bloom, her face full of food. Everypony else had gone dead silent as they realized what was about to go down.

“The business of which we’re here in the first place, of course.” Answered Razz, “which is answering the question of what to do with somepony like me.”

“Now, darling,” interrupted Rarity, “while that _is_ what we’re here for, that’s being too generalized. After all, isn’t the whole point of this luncheon so we all can understand what’s going on in a slightly more intimate yet casual manner?”

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Rarity, but I’m afraid it’s not going to work until the proverbial white elephant in the room has been dealt with.”

“Elephant?!” squealed Pinkie Pie, rapidly looking all over the place, “Where?!”

“My apologies, since I didn’t mean it as an insult, but…” the dark unicorn looked Celestia dead in the eyes, “Your highness, you’re scared of me, or rather my powers, aren’t you?”

"I wouldn't call it fear, exactly. More accurate to say that I have... _concerns_...about your abilities."

“Please, your majesty, I would prefer it if you were honest. If what you want to be happening here is for me to be as open as possible, then everypony here needs to do the same.”

Celestia let out a massive sigh she didn’t know she’d been keeping. “Alright, if you must know, what you have shown to be just a mere taste of the raw dark magic you have at your hooftips, I do feel the need to be just as cautious around you as I had been around Sombra himself _before_ he took over the Crystal Empire, or with Luna when I was too blind to see what led to Nightmare Moon’s birth.”

A collective gasp sounded off from the ponies on the sides, with Luna’s being emphasized above the others due to how Celestia was being rather _too_ open in the situation at hoof. “Sister! Surely you’re not serious!”

Celestia looked over sadly at her sister. “I am, Luna, as much as it pains me to admit it,” before she turned back to Raspberry. “I might as well explain why, since you’ll probably want to know that as well.”

“I already do,” Raspberry replied somberly, much to Celestia’s shock. “I can’t say I’m surprised, either. What Sombra did with dark magic was unforgivable, though not like he cared about it since it seemed all he cared about was power. Since you mentioned that I am of royal lineage if his cursed blood runs in my veins, then it’s perfectly reasonable that you would see me as a threat not only to your position as the main leadership figure of the country, but of the protection of everypony in it.”

“More than just that.” Celestia had since dropped the fake smile, her muzzle now bearing a hard line of non-emotional bearing. “You must understand, it is only because the ponies of this country have faith in me and my fellow princesses that there are not riots in the streets, though there are still those calling for your blood to be spilled. Of course, the same can be said for why I was not of the same opinion, because of the faith I have placed in Twilight and her friends from Ponyville. They lobbied on your behalf, but I still find it hard to believe you when-“

Razz suddenly groaned, exasperated at something. “Why does that damn news article _keep showing up at the worst times?!_ ”

Celestia raised an eyebrow inquisitively, “News article?”

“Yes, because if there’s _anything_ I’ve learned about what follows me around no matter how hard I try, it’s that damn obituary.” She then rested her hooves on the table and rested her head on them, continuing despite being muffled, “you might as well let everypony know of yet another heinous crime I’ve committed.”

“Well, if you insist…” replied the tallest alicorn, wondering what the real story was going to be as she winked into her presence the piece of paper Discord had found that morning. Wordlessly, she motioned for the article to be passed around, with each successive reader expressing complete shock and/or horror at what it described.

“This…this can’t be true!” exclaimed Rarity, the last pony to see the article. “Razz, darling, did…did you _actually_ murder him?!”

With bleary eyes, Raspberry lifted her head to look at Rarity, her face evident of the fear being felt of how this latest development would change things. “Of the ponies who were there, I would be the only one to say it wasn’t murder. But I know that, no matter how you look at it, I did commit patricide.”

“I-is…is that why…” Rarity was struggling to get the words from her brain to her mouth as she began to realize the intentional omissions from Raspberry’s earlier personal recollections, “Your father didn’t kick you out…you ran because you _killed_ him?!”

There was no immediate answer, just everypony looking at Raspberry while the red-and-black unicorn merely looked down at the table at her mostly eaten plate of food. Heliodor had since moved from the provided bird-stand and was now trying to comfort his mistress.

“Y’know what Ah think?” suddenly spoke up Applejack, who of all the ponies there had suffered the most from murder being why her parents were not among the living, and her voice carried a decade of remorse and anger.

“No, sis!” pleaded Apple Bloom, “She saved mah life and stopped Fair Vista from ruinin’ who knows how many other pony lives by usin’ me to make ‘em into werewolves!”

“What?!” exclaimed Celestia, Luna, Shining, and Cadence all at once. They had been informed of Lightning Dust’s lycanthropy, hence why she was even in attendance due to needing constant surveillance in case she suddenly started to go feral, but everything else was new information to them.

“Land sakes, no, Apple Bloom!” answered an alarmed AJ, “Ah mean, yes, Ah’m still not happy about the fact she accidentally turned me back into a werewo-“ she then noticed the three princesses and one prince all having become _several_ shades paler than normal in reaction to _that_ bit of news, causing her to cringe in embarrassment, “Ah really should not have said that out loud…”

“No, but it will have to wait,” said Twilight, taking charge of the situation, “There obviously is a _lot_ going on here that involves Raspberry, but if what you were about to say is what I _think_ you were about to say, AJ, then before this mess gets even more complicated, we should hear Raspberry’s side of the story.”

“But how do we know she’s even telling the truth?” accused Rainbow. “No offense, Beryl, but you haven’t been exactly honest about anything as far as I know.”

“Well, um, I think that’s why it’s a good thing she has Heliodor, then…” said Fluttershy, her voice barely audible from how low she’d sunk below the table. “After Philomena’s prank, I did more research about phoenixes, and learned about the fabled green ones as well as the usual red variety. It was sort of confusing, since Philomena is red but she seemed more like a green-“

“Philomena’s mother, Verna, was in fact a green phoenix,” said Celestia, her composure coming back gradually. “But you are correct in that the fact Heliodor is green does improve things, as green phoenixes are allegedly destined to pair up with a pony they deem has a pure heart. Only…”

“Ponies with pure hearts don’t ‘murder’ their dads, do they?” skeptically asked Raspberry, now finally sitting back upright as she rubbed a hoof on the back of her bird’s head.

“Thank goodness _none_ of this came up in the trial, Blueblood would have gone wild with it,” commented Shining, realizing how lucky that passed over bit of information had not been used.

“Yes, but I think what needs to be done is clear,” added Rarity, turning to look reassuringly at Raspberry. “As Applejack was going to say in all likelihood, much of what has occurred would have been avoided had Raspberry told us the whole story – the whole, _real_ story, that is – and we ponies being willing to listen.”

“I believe so, too, Rarity,” nodded Celestia, “So, Raspberry, it’s time for you to come clean, too. Just who _are_ you?”

“Who am I?” rhetorically asked Raspberry, lifting her foreleg to let Heliodor take his perch on her horn, “I am Raspberry Beryl, the inheritor of Sombra’s curse, and the only pony unlucky enough to have been born in Lonesome Dove and not be an earth pony.”

* * *

_Twenty five years ago…_

Torchwood stood on his porch, facing away from his homestead. It hadn’t been easy, coming to Lonesome Dove was risky no matter how anypony looked at it, but his wife, Glass Ruby, had been supportive of the decision. So, here they were, on a parcel of land that he would soon plow and plant seeds, from which crops would grow. They would prosper here, maybe even become an important family as the settlement was relatively new, a potential for him to be the patriarch of a new family lineage on the same level as the Apple Family who seventy-five years ago had founded the town of Ponyville.

And he smiled, knowing that soon he would have a strong son who would, given time, grow into a fine young stallion who would help the farm prosper and eventually take over the farm when his father’s body failed him. _Yes_ he thought _this will be a bright, new begin-_

A loud wail erupted from the house, then a silence that was only interrupted by the cry of a newborn. But…something felt wrong. _Very_ wrong. His heart sinking, Torchwood raced into the house to find all his dreams crushed in an instant.

There, in the bedroom of the small farmhouse, were three ponies waiting for him on the bed. His wife, who looked like she hadn’t slept in years, was still breathing heavily in the aftermath of labor. Paying no attention to the midwife or the bundle held in her forelegs, Torchwood raced to the side of his wife.

“It’s over!” semi-wailed the exhausted mare, “Oh, thank Celestia it’s over!”

“But what about you, my love?” asked Torch, “Are you alright?”

“I’ll live” answered Ruby, letting out a chuckle, “if only for the sake of you and our child, I’ll recover.”

“You’ll be the best mother any colt could have, my sweet gem.”

“Um…” interrupted the midwife, “it’s a filly.”

“I-I beg your pardon?” quickly asked Torch, not understanding the idea that the baby _wasn’t_ the colt he’d been expecting. Granted, nopony, not even the doctor, had been able to reliably predict the gender, but with the hoping and the praying and the dreaming he’d done, Torch had been sure it was going to be a boy.

Yet, as the midwife brought the newborn to meet its parents, what lay inside the bundle was most certainly _not_ the earth pony colt he’d been expecting. Instead, it was a unicorn filly, a lock of sky blue and lilac hair for her mane that stopped an inch before where her horn jutted out of her skull, her coat a rich raspberry hue and her eyes a warm maroon.

“Oh, she’s _beautiful_!” cooed Ruby, weakly spreading her forelegs to take the infant into them. “I don’t think we could have asked for a better child, don’t you, Torchie?”

“Uh, yeah, heh heh, of course not!” lied the stallion through a false grin, though he knew his wife would believe him. In truth, he was crushed. He had wanted –no, _demanded_ – a colt of earth pony lineage. Furthermore, it didn’t make any _sense_ as to how a pony of unicorn lineage could be the product of two earth ponies whose entire bloodlines were pure and untainted by the other pony types as far back as recorded history could remember.

“Pardon me for asking, but…” the midwife sheepishly commented, “I _do_ find it curious that a unicorn would be born to two earth ponies.”

“Are you implying my wife was unfaithful?” snapped Torch, letting some of his anger at being denied the son he rightfully deserved, though he had to admit that _was_ a possible explanation. He hoped it wasn’t though, because he loved Ruby dearly and he expected the same of her.

“No, Torchie, you’re the only colt I would ever want to be with” assuaged the new mother as she cradled the baby. “But I may know the reason for why our bundle of joy will have the gift of magic and not that of strength.”

“Why?” asked Torchwood and the midwife simultaneously.

Ruby just smiled, before recalling an old family legend. “My family’s bloodline goes back all the way to the Crystal Empire, believe it or not.”

“Impossible, that place never existed!” nickered Torch.

“Oh, but it’s true. Remember how I said the blending of the colors in my mane was a special trick with how I combed it? It’s actually completely natural, the only proof of the Crystal Pony blood in me. And looking at our filly, it seems she has it too.”

“But…but I thought the Crystal Ponies were for the most part all Earth ponies?”

“They were, but therein lies the dark truth. You see, when King Sombra was defeated and his last act was to curse the Crystal Empire, making it vanish entirely, some of his unwilling slaves managed to escape and disappear within the main population of Equestria. But before that, some of those slaves had been relegated to his own kind of personal harem. Obviously, the shame those poor mares had in being the personal sex toys of that bastard king would mean they wouldn’t ever mention him, but it was never known if one of them carried his offspring when they fled.”

“That’s…that’s _horrible_!” gasped the midwife.

“Indeed, but there’s no need to worry. True or not, that was a thousand years ago, and this innocent babe has nothing to do with Sombra.”

“So, what are we going to call it-er, I mean, her?” asked Torch.

“I know just the name; Raspberry Beryl.”

* * *

In present day, Raspberry Beryl sighed unhappily. “I can’t say for sure if that’s really what happened when I was born, but from what I could glean from my father’s rantings it’s the best I can theorize.”

“But…didn’t you say your mom died when you were born?” pointed out Twilight.

Raspberry nodded solemnly, “I did tell you that, but beyond bestowing my name upon me, my mother may as well have died the second the cord connecting her to me was cut. She…grew extremely ill the next day, her immune system weakened from the strain of childbirth, and despite everypony’s best efforts she died before I was even a week old.”

“I…I’m sorry…” said Cadence, already tearing up a little. “No pony should grow up without knowing their mother’s embrace.”

“While I do wish I could have known my mother, have a memory of her beyond the one photograph she’d had done and hanging in the dining room and her gravestone under one of the few trees on the far side of what was supposed to have been the farm. Only…I must be honest, I don’t think I ever really knew the pony my father had been, as while his expectations had been delayed when I was given to him instead of the son he felt owed, they’d been crushed when mom died. He’d loved her, dearly, and to lose her not only deprived him of any means to get the son he wanted, but of possibly the only pony who he truly had cared for in Lonesome Dove, the one pony who he felt deserved the fruits of his dreams more than he. To have all that taken away from him so quickly, with only me left to be nothing but a constant source of demands with no promise of being of any use to achieving the glories he wanted…I just don’t think his mentality could handle all of it.”

“Did…did he neglect you?” asked Pinkie, who had grown up in what seemed to be similar circumstances and considered her father to have been a very tough parent, too. However, unlike Raspberry, Pinkie’s father hadn’t shown any distaste for her or her sisters; Marble and Limestone, because he’d wanted a son instead.

“Worse.”

“Oh.” Collectively said all the other ponies. What was implied needed no elaboration.

“Now, hold on a second,” said Shining, “you claim to be the descendant of King Sombra, right?”

“With all due respect, your highness, that’s probably one of the _stupidest_ questions somepony has ever asked me. I mean, after all the black crystals popping up around me, the fact I’ve got a stalagmite growing out of my forehead for a horn, and then the fact my bloodline is earth as far back as anypony cares to know aside from the most evil unicorn in history forcing himself into it, I’m kind of stumped in how else I can make myself look even more like Sombra unless I start going _CRYSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALS_ in a horribly strangled voice.”

“I think what my brother means, Razz,”Twilight clarified, “is that while your appearance and actions are unique for ponies who have used dark magic, the truth is conventional magic studies can’t confirm that those are truly signs that you are of Sombra’s bloodline or if they’re just the result of long-term dark magic usage.”

“To be fair, Twi,” interjected Applejack, “considerin’ you yourself admitted she knows more about dark magic than anypony here, much less in all of Equestria, if she’s sure she’s got Sombra’s powers then Ah don’t really see how we can’t trust her there. Plus, if she _wasn’t_ part of Sombra’s kin, then how do you explain the mass-petrificatin’ thing she did, or how by her own admission she…well, you were there, Twi, when she explained what happened this mornin’ only could’ve happened ‘cause her magic is like his.”

“I don’t know what happened this morning that involved her magic and you girls, but I think I can help support her claims since I’ve been sensing magic similar to Sombra’s for some time, now, as I told my fellow princesses via the letters I sent a few weeks ago.”

“Wait, you _knew_ the truth about me this whole time?!” a scandalized Razz exclaimed.

“Well, yes and no, Raspberry,” said Luna. “Thanks to Cadence, we’ve known of somepony or something out in the world whose magic was of the same type as Sombra’s, she of all of us would know since she had to keep that shield going during his brief resurrection, except we didn’t know _who_. Obviously, that who is you, so we have an answer to that question instead of having to go on a changeling hunt.”

“Yeah, _that_ would have ended badly,” sighed Raspberry, “though certainly not as bad as when I got my cutie mark…”

* * *

_Fifteen years ago_ …

“This _better_ be some kind of joke, Beryl, even though I would have expected your sense of humor to be better than…than _that!”_ threatened Torchwood. In the decade since his wife’s death, having been stuck with no child save for a whiny unicorn brat who only recently had finally been of any use on the farm, he’d turned to drink and now was almost never seen without a half-empty bottle of liquor somewhere close by.

“B-but father…it really is my cutie mark!” answered Raspberry. For a filly who had grown up under the cruel hoof of her father, denied basic education as she was forced to work the fields to make up for having replaced the son that never was, and was publicly treated as something to be embarrassed of, this was supposed to have been the best day of her life. “I told you, I can use my magic to help the farm! I can-“

“You can do _nothing_ right!” screamed Torchwood, getting to his feet from the worn-out chair he was sitting in, “You take my wife away from me _and_ any chance of having a son, much less a child worth anything in having, have the _worst_ working ethic of any pony who ever lived, and now you don’t even have the decency to get a cutie mark that _doesn’t_ serve to mock me of my failures?!” Indeed, to his horror, Raspberry Beryl’s cutie mark was of brightly colored gems, apparently linked to her magic as she was levitating a few gems in a purplish black aura.

Raspberry backed up slowly, knowing what was coming, and so didn’t try to dodge the glass bottle smashing into her face, as prior experience had taught her that no matter what, she never got out of these situations without the bottle carving itself deep into some part of her body. This time, the bottle scored the side of her face, painfully scratching the surface of her eye. **“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”** she screamed, falling to the floor and hooves clutching at her bleeding eye, doing little to stop the flow.

“That’ll teach you…huh?” said Torchwood, now angry that half a bottle of good sorrow juice had gone to waste, but for the first time in a long while was something other than perpetually disappointed in his offspring. The blood that had spilled from her wounds only stayed blood for a few seconds upon contact with the floor, before darkening and hardening into what seemed to be black crystal, then subsequently dissolving into nothing. The implications of what that could mean forced Torchwood to pause, gazing upon the thing that was the only piece of his wife left to him, as it looked back at him, her wounded eye having already healed up as if the broken bottle had not hurt her in the first place. But most damning was the gems she had been levitating right before he had struck her; in her magic grip they had been bright and shiny, but when left alone their true nature was revealed and their dark cores visible for the world to see.

“Did…did you make those gems?” half-asked, half whispered Torch.

“wh-wha?”

**“** DID YOU MAKE THOSE GEMS WITH YO UR MAGIC ?!” 

Raspberry didn’t understand, “Y-yes! I m-mean no! I used my magic to make them, but th-they could still be sold to help fund the f-farm, can’t they?”

Torchwood was silent, the bottle handle falling from his hoof to shatter on the floor. Then, in the most controlled tone of voice Raspberry ever heard from him, he spoke, “I should have known, you unicorns are all really demons…”

“We’re what?”

No response, but as if in a trance Torchwood moved to grab Raspberry by the horn, dragging her as they went to the tool shed. “I’ve been blind to the truth, so much trouble could have been avoided if I’d just paid attention!”

“Wh-what’s going on?!” wailed Razz, scared of what might happen. “D-don’t try to break my horn off again, daddy! I’m sorry! Please!”

“No, you’re not sorry, which is why there will be _no_ mistakes…” his hoof reached for the old saw he’d used to build all of the farm’s structures. “I will correct at least one of your mistakes, at least…”

Tears now flowing freely as she was held down on the ground with her head locked by her father’s strong foreleg, she realized too late what was going on when the first tooth of the saw was felt at the base of her horn, where it connected to her skull. Then, her father pushed the saw forward-

* * *

**“GAH!”** gasped Raspberry, suddenly convulsing violently and shooting her head back with wide eyes, throwing Heliodor clean off her horn. It would have been comical had she not also started crying and hyperventilating.

“Raspberry, darling! Are you alright?” inquired Rarity, having rushed out of her seat to be at the other unicorn’s side. The suddenness of the dark unicorn’s behavior had everypony else on edge too, some having gotten to their feet to help if need be.

“Y-yes, I’m fine, thank you f-for your concerns, all of you…” said Raspberry, in-between sniffing. “It’s just that of all the things my father did…making the day I got my cutie mark into the worst day of my life is something I can _never_ forgive him for doing, not when he took away my magic so painfully and traumatically…not when he ruined what was the happiest moment I’d ever had on that bucking farm.”

“I know this may sound horribly inappropriate,” cautiously started Rainbow, “but, like, you’ve mentioned that weird regenerative ability of yours where you basically can’t die, much less sustain severe injury for more than a few minutes, so I have to ask if your horn regenerated after it…well, when your father basically destroyed it.”

“No, as far as I know it’s the only part of my body I can’t regenerate near-instantly. I don’t know what my father did with my original horn, for all I know he told somebody in-town to drop it in a canyon or something. I guess you could say I was ‘lucky’ in that he hadn’t cut deep enough into my skull to kill me _that_ way, but I was left with a plateau of bone that was nothing more than a slight ridge on my forehead. He made me wear a bandanna over it, to hide what was left of my horn and to make me look like an earth pony like him. Truth be told, I probably wouldn’t even be alive today if it wasn’t for the constant, backbreaking labor he forced me to do, since I was still somehow growing at the time and so my physical condition was well above average for a unicorn mare my age at the time.

Only…I learned a few weeks later that just because my horn had been ruined _didn’t_ mean I couldn’t use magic anymore. See, I was alone in the fields while my father was sleeping off another hangover, when for whatever reason the sky _exploded_ into a rainbow. It must have been seen from all across Equestria.”

“That was _probably_ me doing my first sonic Rainboom, which caused many things to happen that day.” boasted Rainbow, “uh, unless what you’re about to say was another bad thing, in which case it _wasn’t_ me doing my first Sonic Rainboom.”

Fluttershy uncharacteristically hit Rainbow hard enough in the side for the blue pegasus to realize she had actually been hit by her yellow counterpart. “Rainbow,” the shy one said, “take responsibility for it, since it was for my sake that you were even in that race at all.”

Raspberry, contrary to expectations, laughed slightly. “It’s alright, Fluttershy, especially since that rainbow is how I learned my magic hadn’t really left me. On the field, alone, I remember marveling at its beauty and wanting to share the experience with somepony else. Except the only pony I actually really knew was my dad, who I obviously wasn’t going to bother with, and so I really wished for somepony to be with me. Next thing I know my forehead starts shooting out magic and forms into a perfect copy of me.”

“Like that fake double trick you did back at the Everfree Ruins?” realized Apple Bloom.

“Uh-huh, I can even demonstrated it, if your majesties would allow me to, of course.” With a nod from the four princesses, Raspberry closed her eyes and lit up her horn. The bubbling mass of purple was joined when she reopened them to release misty trails of purple, her eyes having turned green and red. “For the record, my mastery of dark magic is such that I can actually control this whole eye effect thing, it actually strains my eyes a little anyway so unless I need my full concentration on something else I normally just leave it off.” She then turned to the wall and fired a beam of magic at it. The beam stopped midway, pitching down 90 degrees and slamming into the ground. Then, like a mold being filled by water, a perfect cut-and-paste copy of Raspberry Beryl formed from the ground up.

“And you can do that _without_ your horn?” absentmindedly said Twilight, gaping at the ease with which Raspberry performed what was essentially a difficult self-duplication spell.

“I could fifteen years ago, with a horn it’s even easier, though, since it doesn’t take more than few seconds for me now. Anyway, this is my dark magic duplicate who I named ‘Truth’.”

“You named it? Does that mean it’s like a sentient familiar?” asked Luna, a disapproving frown on her muzzle.

“What? Nah, dark magic can do lots of things, but it can’t create life. No, Truth here is basically a full-size puppet that I can give basic orders to.” To demonstrate, Raspberry flicked her head as if giving a command, and Truth wordlessly began to trot in a circle around the table a few times before coming to a stop in the exact place she had been created. “When I learned I could do this without my horn, life did start improving for me a little. From that point on, Truth acted in my stead to take the blows from my dad, only I made it so her wounds wouldn’t instantly heal as they do for me, so he never caught onto the deception and I wasn’t subject to his regular physical abuse anymore. I practiced making my fake gems, partly in the hope of somehow being able to change my fortunes in life, though mostly it really was the only thing I could truly do.

“ Working on that plot of land wasn’t easy, since there was so much buried diamond there, but of the most worthless variety. What little that could grow that we didn’t need to support ourselves was sold in town by dad along with the mined diamonds, though he blew most of it on booze anyway. When the diamonds started to run low, there simply wasn’t much to do. So I practiced magic, though my feelings of anger towards my father grew. He denied me every step of the way in terms of having a chance towards being a regular pony by keeping me cooped up on his farm, by trying to mold me into something he could say was his without being embarrassed about it. Unfortunately, he ended up informing the town about it all during his many drunken stupors, which a few years later came to a head…

* * *

_Nine Years Ago…_

It had been one of those long days when Torchwood had gone to town to sell what little his sad imitation of a farm had produced in excess of bare necessities. Having been nothing but cause for shame and embarrassment, he still forbade Raspberry Beryl from coming to town, recently having made it clear she was not to leave the house to even work on the farm while he was away.

When he’d returned, he reeked of booze and just went straight to his lonely bed, not even berating his daughter for being a useless bitch as he usually did. Raspberry was thankful for a small mercy, since those continued to be rare. But, after eating her self-prepared dinner of carrots and oats, she quickly washed up before heading to bed herself, waiting for the next dreary day to come with its challenges she needed to overcome just to survive. For fifteen years that had been her life, the last six having been especially bad as she had to wear an annoying bandana around what had been the only real thing separating her from the other ponies in the first place. Before she tucked herself in, she removed the bandana and looked in the dusty, cracked mirror at the stump on her forehead.

“Someday, Raspberry, you’ll have a life worth living,” she mumbled, turning to sleep once more.

It would not be a long sleep, as maybe only an hour had passed before she heard a large crowd of ponies approaching the premises.

“Burn the demon! Burn the demon!” they cried, leading Raspberry to realize her father must have gone on about how he was cursed with a unicorn child that had used “dark magic” or something. From what she knew, this year had been especially bad for the community, caught in the grip of a devastating drought. Without a dedicated pegasus weather team to relieve the pressure, the massive reduction in crop production as a whole was leaving the town angry and hungry. With horror, she realized that everypony blamed _her_ for the trouble, possibly her father as well for causing it by sawing off her horn six years prior. But she didn’t have time to even think about trying to convince the townsfolk otherwise, not when the crowd started throwing torches at the house. The house timbers, dried out from the lack of rain, instantly caught fire and soon the blaze was wrapping around the house.

Raspberry instinctively made to gather what she needed before fleeing the burning house. Which, sadly, was only a small pouch of bits she’d managed to accumulate over the years from what little her father brought back. Using the bandana normally required to hide her horn’s stump, she fashioned a small pouch hanging on the end of a stick, before having to leave her room when parts of the roof started to fall in. However, she only made it to the dining room before she was tackled by her father.

“Trying to leave, are you _?!”_ he snarled, a combination of sleep deprivation, drunkenness mixed with the still lingering effects of his last hangover, and general insanity etched onto his face.

“The house is on fire, you idiot!” she screamed back, fighting to get free, “We need to get out of here!”

“I’m the master of the house, _I’m_ the one calling the shots of what we do!” He then effortlessly picked up his daughter and threw her against a wall. Ignoring the house burning around him and the angry crowd outside, he watched like a taskmaster who took disturbingly sadistic pleasure in making his charges feel pain. His sadistic grin, however, faded as he saw a change pass over his daughter while she got back to her hooves.

“Not anymore…” she grunted, her self-restraint finally broken as the floodgates of her anger flew open, letting fifteen years of emotion flow freely. “For years you’ve kept me locked up on this piece of shit farm, constantly deriding me as the cause for all of _your_ failures, for all of your broken dreams. But now… _now_ I’m putting an end to it!” She then threw her head back and gave a cry that was inequine to the point the crowd outside stopped chanting in fear that the ‘demon’ was going to go after _them_ now.

“Wh-what the buck _are_ you?!” choked out Torchwood, fear quickly bringing sobriety back to him for the first time in years. Somehow, despite having removed her horn and ensured its disposal, it was obvious the dark magic within her was still readily available and at her hooftips, if not more than ever now. The effect it had on her was a kind of metamorphosis, her colors all shifted to dark hues of red and black, two razor-sharp fangs making themselves known as they gleamed in the light of the fire raging around them, but most disturbingly of all was the stump of a horn pushing its way through her skull, forming a new and much more _sinister_ looking horn as it was encased in the signature, dark bubbly mass that was a dark magic aura.

“Your _daughter_!” coldly declared Raspberry, completely subsumed by her rage. Then, without realizing it, Razz charged her father with her horn lowered, headbutting him into the wall and impaling him on her horn through the heart. With an unearthly scream she poured magic into her horn, matched by the eye-bulging reactions on Torchwood’s face before they finally rolled up and his last breath escaped through his lips.

With a grunt, Raspberry dragged her father’s corpse along the wall and threw it against another one, removing him from her horn, though now his blood stained the tip of her horn. Also of note was that something else came out of Torchwood; his heart had been crystallized into being a heart-shaped black crystal similar to the Raspberry colored one on the unicorn’s flank.

“Wha…what?” gasped Raspberry, the gravity of the act she had just committed knocking sense back into her. As she looked at the reflection of herself in what had been her father’s heart, she saw the monster she had become. “Oh, Celestia, what have I done?” She had hated her father, that much had been true, but she never would have wanted to harm him, to even lay a hoof on him would have been to put her on his level. But now…now she’d committed patricide (though at the time she didn’t know there was a term for that beyond “murder”) and had sinned so greatly she had become some kind of freak.

The rising sound of the angry mob outside the still-burning house, however, made it clear that if she still had any inclination to live, she needed to flee Lonesome Dove. Quickly grabbing her satchel of bits, she paused only briefly in front of the picture of her mother; too big for her to take with her wherever she went she noted tragically. Thus, she made sure to ingrain the only image of the parent who had really loved her, for she would never have fond memories of her father. Then she disappeared through the back door as the only world she’d ever known crumbled behind her in fire.

* * *

Silence once again filled the hall, the task of breaking the somber mood not being one anypony would want.

“My father may have been a terrible parent, but if there’s anything good about what he did, it’s that he taught me to be a good pony. Even before I truly figured out my relation to King Sombra, the biggest monster I knew was my dad, and I knew I didn’t want to be anything like him. The fact I killed him in blind rage nine years ago…I feel like the only way I can ever forgive myself for that, even if it takes me my whole life, is to be as good a pony as I can possibly be. Obviously, it’s difficult with my handicap of dark magic being the only kind of magic I can use, but as easy as it would be to harm other ponies for me to keep on going, I will not go to that level, the one my dad lived on and made my life hell in the process.”

The other ponies nodded in acknowledgement, but there wasn’t really anything more to be said. At least, not until Celestia spoke up. “Raspberry Beryl, thank you for being this open for our benefit, I have just one more question for you, personally.”

“Yes, your majesty?”

Celestia took a deep breath before saying her final question. “Raspberry…if I pardoned you right now, on the spot, and let you go do whatever you wanted to do without worry about getting in trouble about your dark magic…problem…what would you do?”

“I would go straight back to Ponyville, beg Ascot and Cashmere to forgive me for not telling them about my secret, and if they are merciful I would keep living life the way I had been right before Nightmare Night. Living and working at the Traveler’s Retreat, the only difference is I’d try to find a way to prevent what happened with Spike from ever happening again, and if not I’d stop selling them altogether as they are no longer my means of supporting myself and Helee anymore.”

“But if you don’t need to sell them to survive, then why sell them at all?”

“Because…well, because then I could enjoy selling them more for what they really would be instead of fakes. I could even give them away if I wanted, as long as they made other ponies happy. That way I could do something good with my special talent.”

Celestia nodded, but said nothing for a long few minutes. Then, with no outward emotion, she reassumed that fake, motherly smile as she gave her reply. “I see. Thank you, Raspberry, that will be all for you. However, before I am willing to let you go, I believe you’re a key part as to explaining this whole werewolf business.”

Raspberry paled, not exactly keen to explain her role in the “werewolf business” at all.

* * *

Later, Celestia mulled over her choice, alone in her chambers. For all that she knew, Raspberry Beryl was just as good a pony as any other, better than some, even. She at least knew the answers to why Raspberry was absent from the census records when she was a filly. Her father had purposely tried to hide her after all. But not because of trying to hide a potential perfect assassin and usurp control of the country; instead he’d tried to hide her from the world simply because he did not want the world to know his one child was not what he’d wanted. A purely selfish reason, destroying one of the happiest times in any young pony’s life, because he had felt self-entitled. Celestia could not in good conscience condemn such a pony to a terrible fate when the majority of the aristocracy was full of ponies who deserved to be jailed more than her.

But at the same time…she could not let a pony whose self-professed special talent and heritage were those of King Sombra. Who had still killed another pony, her own father even, without immediate remorse. Who had committed the greatest chain of forgery dealings in history, even if it was only for personal survival. And who had unintentionally caused Applejack to revert back to being a werewolf after a year of everypony believing she truly had been cured. While that instance had been under extremely unique circumstances, the fact merely being touched by dark magic had caused Applejack to revert, and the potential threat Raspberry posed to the country should she lose control again was a horror words could not convey.

Raspberry Beryl, for all intents and purposes, was just as powerful and just as _dangerous_ as Sombra, and her judgement would have to factor that in. At the same time, Raspberry was the _opposite_ of her predecessor, a truly good pony at heart, and so in order to remain being seen as a fair ruler, Celestia would need to take _that_ into consideration as well.

  


It had taken her hours, but she finally settled on a decision. Equestriani courts would forever condemn it as controversial, but in light of the “werewolf business” that would never see the light of day in public if all went well, and how fate had wronged Raspberry Beryl for twenty five years, it was the only choice that would satisfy all sides. The only choice that could save Equestria should Fair Vista manage to set into motion Sable Loam’s plan to create a new werewolf army.

_Which_ , though Celestia with a wry smile, _would only happen with the help of the very power that created the werewolf problem a thousand years ago._


	50. Book2 Ch.25 Divine Judgement

Rise of the Furball Chapter 25: "Divine Judgement"

“Apple Bloom…” groaned Applejack.

“Yeah, sis?” replied the filly.

“We’ve established that the whole ‘you not tellin’ us about bein’ a werewolf’ thing is behind us, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Now stop sniffin’ _mah_ behind!”

Blushing, the young Apple backed away from her sister’s plot. “Sorry.”

Applejack just shook her head. “Please don’t tell me you sniff the behinds of other ponies in public.”

“Wouldn’t her teacher, whatshername, have mentioned something like that?” suggested Lightning Dust, before reaching into a bag of Happy Puppy dog biscuits and popping a few into her mouth, “Damn, these things are really good.”

“You’re referrin’ to Cheerilee, Ah'm guessin', and Ah wouldn’t eat too many of those, Dusty,” warned Applejack as she confiscated the bag, “this’ll be the only bag we’ll get until we get back to Ponyville.”

“Ah doubt it’ll last that long, Applejack,” pointed out Apple Bloom, “Ah went through a bag once a week initially, Ah was goin’ through twice as much by Nightmare Night.”

“Great, we gotta ration ‘em now?” rhetorically asked Applejack, taking a biscuit into her own muzzle, “Winona’s not gonna like it…”

“Better than eating actual meat, you do have to admit that” snarked the pegasus.

“True.”

“Ah’m just worried about what’s gonna happen to Razz,” mumbled Apple Bloom, “None of this woulda happened had Ah not gotten separated from the group.”

“What are you so worried about, sugarcube?” Applejack replied, trotting over to where Apple Bloom had sat down in the corner of the bedroom. It had been decided at the luncheon yesterday that for the time being, it probably would be better for the werewolves to all share a room to sleep in, since while even Raspberry didn’t know how close werewolves got to true pack animals, it was generally agreed that erring on the side of caution in that regard couldn’t hurt anything. As long as nopony tried marking their side of the room, lest the sleeping rage monster that was the Castle Canterlot cleaning staff be unleashed. “None of what’s happened was your fault.”

“B-but…” sniffled Apple Bloom, the water works starting up, “if Ah’d told you Ah was a werewolf, Ah never woulda-“

“Apple Bloom, I know what you’re going to say,” cut off Lightning Dust. “But in truth, if you had told Applejack and the others about your lycanthropy, then the events on Nightmare Night would have been different. Possibly with worse end results. Nothing would have changed that would have made the situation better; Fair Vista would still be after you, Raspberry would still be hiding in her own shell instead of ending a cycle of pain and suffering she kept subjecting herself to, and who knows what else. What’s done is done, so all things considered the fact nothing close to the worst case scenario came to be, we should be thankful there may be light at the end of the tunnel.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Yeah, you’re right, Lightnin’. But Ah still won’t feel right until this whole matter is over. Celestia called the other princesses in for discussion hours ago and there’s still no sign of them comin’ out so she can lay judgement.”

“Ah’m worried too, Bloomie,” soothed AJ as she lay a foreleg over the back of Apple Bloom’s neck. “Ah never did get the chance to really apologize for my behavior towards her when she said it might’ve been her fault Ah’m a werewolf again. It wasn’t her fault, really, nopony knew, and if she was right then Ah’d just been livin’ an illusion of havin’ been turned back to normal.”

Just then, there were a brief set of knocks at the door, followed by Fluttershy entering. “It’s time, girls, the princesses are going to end this once and for all.”

* * *

For the third time in as many days, Raspberry Beryl was being judged by the same four royals, this third and hopefully final time being more of an address to the country about her than anything, as news had spread of her stunt in the courtroom. On the one hoof, it felt like the trial all over again, except with the highest possible power of judgement about to hammer down the path of fate she was to follow, and no defense team provided by Twilight this time.

And yet, it was still better, as the reassuring grip of Heliodor’s talons on her horn – her fake, “regular” horn, as she’d decided to don her ‘preferred’ colors and form for the day in lieu of the form she had been altered into over the years as per the advice of Rarity – made a world of difference. She could feel the eyes of a nation, among them the ponies from Ponyville who she’d befriended even as they were hurt in her presence. She wondered if they were the only sets of eyes not sitting on a throne before her that wished for her well being. All the others…well, she couldn’t give less of a damn. If they had a problem with her, they’d need to get through Heliodor and a firestorm of emerald blazes first.

“Everypony, please, settle down,” Luna calmly requested, the crowd of ponies instantly falling silent at her simple command, “As you all know, it’s been an…interesting series of events here in Canterlot thanks to the special nature of Miss Raspberry Beryl and her ever loyal pet, the phoenix Heliodor.”

Ever the attention lover, Helee feigned humility in the slight praise given to him by the princess of the night.

“Obviously, due to her claims that she is descended from the False King Sombra,” said Cadence, taking her turn to speak, “she is the last of what history has called the Crystal Imperial bloodline, a discredited branch of the old Equestriani royal family long thought extinct due to the former belief that Sombra produced no heirs to his name.”

Cadence then turned and nodded to the pony who she had once foalsat, now a fellow princess. Twilight gave a nod of her own in acknowledgement before she continued the speech. “But simply being of royal blood, no matter how far removed it has become from its source, does not excuse a pony’s actions. The laws that are a part of Equestria since its founding thousands of years ago are the true highest power, even we alicons are not above them, for it is not birthrights or privilege that those laws are to be judged by. No, this country, Our Equestria, was founded on the beliefs of Harmony: of honesty, of laughter, of kindness, of generosity, of loyalty, and magic, which together form the friendships that have bound us all together. The past days and events that will define their memory serve as a reminder of that, for initially the pony who sits before us; Raspberry Beryl, was brought here to be judged on the severity of her crimes. As we have learned, however, we can not judge a pony like her on those grounds alone, not when it was shown to us that her ‘crimes’ are in fact just a reflection of who she is on the inside.”

Once Twilight was finished, Celesta left a moment of silence for the words to register in all of the audience’s minds, before clearing her throat and made to finish this business once and for all.

“Raspberry Beryl, you were brought to Canterlot, of your own accord, I will note, to receive judgment and trial on grounds of having committed the greatest number of offenses against Equestria itself in its recorded history. These acts all sharing one common factor: dark magic.

"According to you, as well as been verified by several other trustworthy sources, the magic that you possess is no ordinary dark magic, but of a much more powerful nature that was inherited by your ancestor, King Sombra, and your special talent is having a mastery of the dark arts on his level as well which surpasses all others who wish to use the corruptive side of magic for their own ends. It is on those grounds that it does not matter whether you are innocent or guilty of conspiring and defying the authority of the Equestriani crowns, you are a very clear and present danger to every pony and every settlement in the country with the powers you hold.

“B-but your majest-!” cried out a shocked Raspberry, but a single raised hoof from Twilight silenced her.

“Please, let her majesty finish,” appealed the youngest princess, the slightest touch of a smile appearing at the sides of her muzzle.

“Thank you, Princess Twilight,” continued Celestia, resuming her place in her speech. “Surely, Raspberry Beryl, you must understand that it is not just your raw power and skill that makes you a threat alone, but the reputation that comes with those powers. A thousand years ago, Sombra used those same powers to turn the Crystal Empire into a nightmarish wasteland, enslaving innocent ponies, and other unmentionable horrors purely with the intentions of his new domain being a mere stepping stone to conquering all of Equestria. He almost prevailed again not too long ago had it not been for a special group of ponies and a certain assistant.” As she mentioned Spike in passing, she glanced over at the stained glass mural that commemorated the victory of Spike the Dragon over Sombra.

_Spike was the one who saved the Crystal Heart?!”_ thought Raspberry, eyes shrinking as the gravity of her actions a few days ago finished sinking in, _I don’t remember ever hearing about him even being there, but now that everypony more or less thinks I’m Sombra reincarnate and the biggest reason I’m here was how that diamond nearly killed him…_

“Yes, the same assistant who is a beloved member of the royal family,” said the sun princess, not losing a beat but noticing Razz’s reaction, “the one who happened to befall a terrible injury by the same magic he helped defeat. Ponies will interpret that as you having the same ambitions as Sombra himself, which will generate panic and disorder should you be let free and unpunished, much less my hoof being forced purely because the act of dark magic practice is forbidden in Equestria outside of extraordinary circumstances. Furthermore, the actions at your trial must be interpreted as an attack on the highest degree of treason, which in of itself would be enough to sentence you to immediate execution.”

“Y-yes, your highness…” acknowledged Raspberry, her head drooping in acceptance of the fate she hadn’t escaped after all.

“ _But_ ,” added Celestia, getting a shocked reaction from all those in front of her, Razz and Heliodor chief among them, “it is extraordinary circumstances that have guided you through life, my little pony, and even more extraordinary that you should bear the powers and features of King Sombra, yet within your heart and mind are untouched. You have struggled for years not only because of your lineage, of the sins committed centuries before your time, but because you chose _not_ to use those powers to gain power and follow the path of evil like Sombra. You desire not what your blood demands is yours as part of royalty, but what is a given birthright to _all_ ponies.

“You have also gained the trust of some of the most important ponies in the country, chief among them Princess Twilight, who you hurt through no fault of your own when Spike ate your handiwork. You were there to protect Apple Bloom, sister to Applejack, from an unforeseen evil that the Elements themselves couldn’t prevent. And above all else, when you had the entire ruling body of Equestria at your mercy, you cared more about vengeance for the companion who has been your only family for so long, rather than surpassing King Sombra in accomplishing the one thing he never could. But that is unfair, admittedly, because that suggests that is how you compare yourself to the pony who defined so much of you before he was even defeated the first time, when everything that you do, the desires and goals that drive your actions and decisions, are so that comparing him to you would show you are nothing like him.

“As I said before, your crimes against Equestria itself and the royal family are on the level of the highest treason imaginable, so in that regard the punishment must be equal in repercussions. However…” Celestia suddenly smiled – a genuine, if small, smile - which was the scariest thing Raspberry Beryl and Heliodor had ever seen. Was the princess actually _happy_ about leveling something as bad as a death sentence?

Luna was of the same opinion. “Have you gone mad, sister?!” she whispered discretely to her counterpart, “Raspberry Beryl has done nothing wrong where her unfortunate birth didn’t come into play! My time as Nightmare Moon has my offenses to Equestria be _far worse_ with a single attack on a settlement, whereas the worst she’s done is kill her father in self-defense!”

“There is a difference, dear sister,” responded Celestia, “just watch.”

_If it’s not death,_ thought Raspberry, quaking in her seated place in front of the same ponies who had condemned Sombra to afate worse than death, and then later condemned to actual death, _then what will they do to me? Cast me into a shadowy form, locked in the ice?_

“Raspberry Beryl, while normally a pony who has intentionally committed such acts as you have would be put to death, your unique situation suggests a much preferable fate would be to serve the Equestriani Crown for the rest of your life, so that is what your punishment will be.”

“In hard labor?!” blurted out the unicorn, scared she would be forced into a situation where she couldn’t properly care for Heliodor.

Celestia laughed, which for a moment put everypony on edge for the same reason Raspberry had been earlier, but it quickly became clear there was more going on than initially thought. “Of course not! You may have been born on a farm but you are not an earth pony. You are, however, a unicorn with mastery over one of the most dangerous kinds of magic known to exist. Dark magic has always posed a threat to Equestria by those who would wish to see it fall or be their own domain, but all ponies who explore the dark arts fall under its corruptive influence and so it is impossible to truly understand it such that better defenses against it can be created. Sombra’s short-lived return a while back was a rude awakening to the fact our defenses against dark magic are no better now than they were a thousand years back. Combined with the various ways his influence has continued to affect Equestria ever since his first defeat, the need for improving those defenses has never been greater. An impossible task as even we alicorns require great amounts of our power and concentration to use it, with all unicorns who try to examine it either dying in the attempt or turning against the crown, which defeats the point.

“But you, Raspberry...you’re the exception, the one pony who has ever had the raw power of dark magic, straight from Sombra himself, along with the skills to fully utilize that magic…yet your heart and mind are as pure as can be. Nopony who is as truly good as you ever deserves a life sentence to anything, but even I cannot overrule the doctrines that Equestria is founded on, though I can exploit how vague the statement ‘service to the crown’ can be when interpreted.”

Raspberry’s eyes started to grow wide and misty. She was _not_ going to die. “I-if it’s going to be my sentence to help keep this country safe, that my magic can be used for good, then I will happily accept my sentence. Just…just don’t put me in a dungeon cell or separate me from Heliodor, I don’t want to go through that again!”

“That wasn’t even possible regardless of your opinion, Raspberry,” answered Cadence. “Your magic is of such a powerful nature that there are few ponies who could contain any trouble you could cause. It would be seen as foolhardy to leave you in a stone cell with only guards keeping an eye on you, since even the most powerful guards would be but toy soldiers against your might.”

“Fortunately,” continued Twilight, “as it so happens, all the ponies who would be able to properly act as handlers live in the same place. It’s a small little village, maybe you’ve heard of it?”

Raspberry’s eyes grew even larger and brighter. “Y-your majesties are letting m-me go back to Ponyville?”

Luna nodded for her fellow royals. “Indeed. We have discussed it at length and have determined the best means of any supervision for you would be from ponies that you feel comfortable around and everypony in Equestria can rely on to keep you on the straight and narrow. But, above all else, we would be no better than your father by denying you the life you deserve. You found happiness in Ponyville, a place that you feel is where you belong after so many years of drifting aimlessly. Who are we to take that from you?”

“I…I…” stuttered Raspberry, having sprung back up onto all four hooves but all attempts to speak resulting in choking. Heliodor furiously fluttered about either side of her head, trying his best to wipe up the first tears rolling down her cheeks while not placing himself in the line of sight between his mistress and the four alicorns. He eventually gave up with a tired sigh and retired to sit on Raspberry’s back. She hadn’t even noticed him as she finally choked out a vital question; “Th-there has t-to be a c-catch…*snif* always a c-c-catch…”

“Unfortunately, there are one or two,” confirmed Celestia, wishing there was some way she could have said that without killing the light of hope in Raspberry’s eyes, but it would be alright in the end. “Due to the dangers posed by your dark crystal gems should they be eaten by a dragon like Spike, unlikely as that may be, or if they react to some other magic breaking them open and allowing them to grow uncontrollably, you are forbidden from selling or distributing anything made from black crystal in any form unless further safety precautions can be devised for that line of work. Additionally, you are forbidden to leave Ponyville without being accompanied by one of the ponies who will carry the title of warden, and in the event there is anything involving dark magic requiring the involvement of the crown, you will be summoned for duty as an expert as is laid out in your sentencing.”

Silence. Raspberry stood there, trembling, expecting Celestia to mention something else. The whopper, the deal-breaker, _something_ that would prove this was all more bullshit that fate was throwing at her to make life even more miserable. But there was nothing. Celestia just sat there on her throne, just like the other three princesses, looking at Raspberry with an indiscernible expression. She couldn’t take it. “That…that’s it?!”

“Raspberry, is something wrong?” inquired Twilight, concern on her face.

“Of course there is!” screamed Raspberry, the tears starting to flow freely, “You expect me to believe that after everything that’s happened here, the worst you’re going to do is basically _order_ me to use my dark magic in ways that will help other ponies?! And that I can also just go back to Ponyville, to the Retreat, and just _live life_ like I’ve always wanted?!”

“Um…y-yes?” replied Celestia, now wondering if at any point, _something_ had been said wrong that had triggered Raspberry’s temper. The eldest princess started prepping a defensive spell should this moment, which should have been a relief all around since it took a _lot_ of loophole finding to manage her punishment on Raspberry, degrade into another episode akin to the trial.

**“NO! I…I CAN’T!”** blurted Razz, evidently more confused than actually angry, “That’s _not_ how life works! Not for me! Everything good that’s come my way, other than Heliodor, always ends up falling through, always ends up-“

*SMACK*

In her hysterics, Raspberry had failed to notice Rarity get up from her place, stride confidently over to the self-destructing unicorn, and then bitchslap her clean across her face. “For heaven’s sake, darling, pull yourself together!” The rest of the Ponyville crew had gotten up and now stood around Raspberry, who still was recovering from Rarity being most unladylike.

“This ain’t a trick, Razz,” said Apple Bloom, walking up and putting her hoof on Raspberry’s. “Ah told you to trust in ‘em, that everythin’ would work out.”

“Indeed, it _will_ be a shame that I won’t be able to use your services to help decorate my products anymore, but we’re still friends and that’s what counts the most, no?”

“Plus, you can’t always look at life like a cup and say it’s half empty,” Lightning Dust interjected. “I mean, the fact _that_ little problem of mine still hadn’t been fixed kind of puts a damper on things, but other than that, being in Ponyville has made me happier than I’ve been in years, no small part on Rainbow and friends giving me a second chance after nearly killing them all. But you? You never even had a first chance, but now you do.”

“Hey, would throwing a party help cheer you up?” suggested Pinkie, to the surprise of absolutely nopony, “We’d have to wait until we got back home, but a nice, big party should help you fit right in!”

“Ah also think you should remember how much we need you, Razz,” admitted Applejack, “the only reason Apple Bloom is still with us is because you stopped you-know-who. If that were-bitch comes back, you’re the only one who can really stop her.”

Rainbow laughed. “Yeah, that actually reminds me, you’ll need to show us some of your sweet moves! Apple Bloom was saying the beat down you were giving on that ghost sounded like an epic fight but since you put her in that crystal prison for her own safety she didn’t know what you were actually doing. Unfortunately for you, I _do_ want to know.”

“And don’t worry about the other ponies in town, they’ll warm up to you again,” said Fluttershy. “I mean, you’ll probably want to just stick with the form you’re in, since your real horn would scare the children and small animals, but maybe using your dark magic for mundane things that wouldn’t hurt anypony, like levitating fruit into a bag or something, would prove you’re just as much a regular pony as the rest of us. Your aura is just unique.”

Raspberry looked at each of the ponies gathered around her one by one. Every single one of them had a reason for hating her guts, but…they didn’t. They’d instead listened to her story, understood her plight, and in the end had done what Apple Bloom had promised.

“T-thank you…all of you!” cried Raspberry, throwing caution to the wind and taking _Pinkie Pie_ into a rib-crushing hug. Behind them, in the crowd of general public ponies who were bearing witness to all this, a low rumble began to be heard. Gradually, it became louder, and louder, until the entire hall echoed with the sound of thunderous, hoofstomping applause for the mercy shown by the princesses. But to Raspberry, it was the sound of congratulations, of victory over her long and troubled life. Everything _had_ turned out for the best…well, almost.

There were still two ponies whose judgement was still to be passed, in their own castle back in Ponyville. And though they were mere specks in importance compared to Celestia’s decision, their opinion mattered far more to the dark unicorn.

* * *

Later, after Luna had raised the moon, and long after the Ponyville crew was allowed to return home, Celestia looked out from her private balcony. She could see for many miles from this vantage point, but as usual her attention was focused on the same place she often gazed toward. Over a hundred years ago, when she had told the Apples they could start a farm there to live on instead of being a nomadic wagon train, she’d known a town would spring up soon enough. Granted, she hadn’t known about the zap apples, those had come as a surprise, but if the magical fruit hadn’t been in play the town would have still sprung up as a center of community regardless. She hadn’t planned on that town being where the six ponies who would bear the restored Elements would converge on that fateful night for the first time, though originally Twilight hadn’t been the one who Celestia had thought would be the “spark” that would restore Luna from her tortured state as Nightmare Moon.

“Compared to Sunset Shimmer,” came an all too familiar voice, “Twilight _was_ the better choice.”

“I do wish you would develop a habit of _not_ intruding on the privacy of other ponies in their rooms, Discord,” sighed Celestia.

“That would imply I was even in the castle to begin with, my dear,” chuckled Discord, who promptly levitated up from below the balcony and oriented such that he was upside down. “Though I will admit I am genuinely worried for your health. After all that business with Raspberry Beryl and her turning out to be the complete opposite of the resurrected nightmare you initially thought she was, you really should get some shut-eye.”

“Since when have _you_ cared for my health?” inquired Celestia with a raised eyebrow. “Even if you managed to spin the whole ‘Luna and I were captured and imprisoned by your failed scheme from a thousand years ago’ event to be favorable to you in the end, it still doesn’t change the fact you let it happen in the first place.”

“True, I did allow my plunder seeds to abduct you, but beyond the initial panic were either of you in any real _danger_ at any point?”

“Well…no, we were kept in pretty cramped conditions under all those vines but we weren’t explicitly hurt.”

“Exactly. Believe it or not, as much as I serve to be the counter-agent to everything you desire for the country, I’m not stupid. There must always be a balance.”

“I would hardly call what you did to this world _twice_ , before and after you were first imprisoned in stone, anything remotely resembling ‘balance.’”

“Yes, well, I admit, those things do make me sound hypocritical, but…”

“Don’t you dare say the ends justify the means here.”

“Of course not, that cliché is old and boring anyway. No, the reason I screwed up the balance of everything those two times was because I had let myself go out of control. Yes, yes, I know! It sounds strange coming from somebody whose entire point of existing it the _opposite_ of ‘control’ but bear with me. The first time I took over Equestria, it was supposed to be a test.”

“A _test?_ ”

“Yes, a test to see what you and Luna would do in the face of a country-wide crisis. Unfortunately, due to your mother leaving this world several years before, I lost the only gauge of how much chaos was _too_ much. You see, as an agent of chaos, it’s my job to cause it, as your mother’s job was to bring order and peace. That’s why we got along so well, you see, because we had respect for the importance of the other’s purpose. But while I was comparatively much more powerful with the ability to alter the world with nothing but a snap of my fingers-“

“Fingers?” asked Celestia, curious. “What are those?”

“Oh, right, those don’t exist here, uh, just forget I said that. Anyway, with a mere snap, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. But Faust, she had a much better understanding of things, of the _why_ behind things happening or existing. She perceived how to best use our powers in tandem to keep this reality in check with itself, for the benefit of all living things.”

“You really needed Queen Faust to tell you when things got excessive? I’d think making ponies becoming shallow imitations of themselves is well beyond what would be considered ‘excessive.’”

“Yes,” admitted Discord, which Celestia realized was a true, honest admission of fault. This creature, who would try to spin _anything_ such that it looked like he had been in the right all along, was honestly saying he’d screwed up somewhere. “We were such a team, Faust and I, sort of a ‘brains and brawn’ dynamic. She was the brains, telling me what needed to be done and where, and I happily did it, but never did she treat me as anything less than an equal. Considering every single other thing alive at the time saw me as an evil being, she really was the only anchor I had to sanity.”

“So when the time came to ‘test’ Luna and I, you sort of lost it and went overboard out of grief?”

“Not out of grief, but out of a need. You won’t believe me, but it was part of Faust’s final request as well as the prophecy I told you of earlier. But now that Raspberry Beryl is back on her intended path, it’s safe for you to know everything now.”

“So, you’re going to let me read that scroll you’ve been dangling in front of me like a carrot?”

“Sort of, the reason I won’t share it with you _now_ is because Luna needs to be here. You are both the only things of Faust that remain in this world, you both deserve to know your mother’s final words. Along with what our favorite little ponies may be facing in the near future.”

* * *

It had been a rough week for Raspberry Beryl. One week ago, she’d willingly surrendered to the crown after choosing to save Apple Bloom from Fair Vista over a clean escape. She’d spent several days as a prisoner on trial, though admittedly only two of those nights had been absolute hell thanks to well-justified separation anxiety. Now she was legally in service to the crown ‘for life’ in the vaguest sense of indentured servitude imaginable, but her gamble in befriending the most dangerous ponies in the country (to her) had paid off.

“You ready?” asked Twilight.

“As I’ll ever be,” replied Raspberry. Heliodor perched on her back, not where he would rather be but in order to keep a low profile he wouldn’t be able to perch on her horn as usual.

“If the worst should happen, darling,” said Rarity, “you can always stay at my place, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say I know everything is going to be alright.”

“Thanks, I really mean it. You all pulled through for me back in Canterlot, so if you all think this is going to work out, then I believe so, too.” With a quick smile and deep breath, Raspberry departed the group of friends who had become almost a surrogate family to her, a sisterhood of sorts. But as she walked up the familiar old steps and opened the door, the little bell attached to it letting out a cheerful ring, she hoped she could count two other ponies among the family she had found in Ponyville.

“One second, just need to put these keys back!” came the easily recognized voice of Cashmere from behind the front desk, followed by a near-silent ‘clink’ of a keyring hitting its hook. “There we go! Apologies, but welcome to the Traveler’s Retr-“ as Cashmere turned around, delivering a stock greeting, she stopped-mid sentence as realization of just _who_ had entered hit her. “Ra…Raspberry?”

“Yes, Mrs. Cashmere, it’s me. I’m home, but only if you want me.”

“Bu-bu-but…why _wouldn’t_ you be wanted?”

“I’m sure you already know, but I was convicted of high treason after what I did at the trial about me using dark magic near exclu-“ She was caught off guard as the elderly mare made a surprisingly athletic tackle and took the unicorn into a big hug.

“Have you been worried about what Ascot and I would think of you after hearing about all of that?” asked the innkeeper, her eyes misty.

“Why wouldn’t I? You two did so much for me, opening your home, letting me live and work here, only for me to turn out to be a pony on the run and all the lies I fed you.”

“You poor thing! Didn’t Rarity tell you? She sent letters almost daily to us about what was going on, you wouldn’t believe how worried we were that you would be taken from us all on account of some dusty old laws and fate being cruel to you. We feared the worst when we didn’t get a letter today, but now you’re here again, oh blessed Celestia you’re home!”

“You…you’re _not_ angry at me? For the lies or the dark magic or the-“

“Why would we be angry?” came a new voice, this time from Ascot, who had emerged from the door leading into the large dining room after hearing the conversation. “From the letters, we know what you have told us was mostly true, anyway, what you hid from us was not for reasons of ill-intent, but of shame of who you were. You wanted to protect us from the things of your past. Nopony can fault you for that. And anypony with a brain can figure out the thing with Spike was an accident and not some premeditated assassination or whatever. Hell, if it wasn’t for your magic, not only would that young Apple not be around today, neither would I!”

“Wait, what?” said Twilight, who had suddenly appeared behind Raspberry, startling the group. “My apologies for intruding, but we were getting worried when Raspberry didn’t come out to let us know if everything is good or not between you two and her, so I just wanted to make sure. But Razz, why didn’t you mention having saved Mr. Ascot back in Canterlot?”

“It…it was nothing, really,” Razz said meekly, blushing all the while. “I just did what any good-hearted pony would have done.”

“Modest as usual, good to see you haven’t changed a bit, Raspberry!” laughed Ascot, who moved alongside the redder unicorn to drape his good wing over her in an embrace. “But really, what she did that night, she and that rascal of a bird she keeps as company, nopony else could have done it.”

“N-no, really Mr. Ascot, I didn’t do _that_ much, honest!” Raspberry blushed harder while Heliodor just rolled his eyes, knowing what was to come.

“Well, it sounds like a story worth hearing, Mr. Ascot. Would you mind?” asked Twilight eagerly.

“Sure, sure, bring in the rest of the girls, too! We’ll whip up something for you all to eat, it must have been a long train ride. But Raspberry…what she did for us that night, what she’s done since…damn it all if we don’t think of her as like a daughter.”

In the clamor that was to follow in preparing the dining room for the story, everypony took note of the great, big, silly smile on Raspberry’s face. The smile that indicated the biggest hole in her life, the void left from the only parent she’d ever had having never loved her, had finally at long last been filled. Deep down, Raspberry knew her place in the world as a master of dark magic aligned with the forces of harmony would be difficult, but even an army of a thousand Fair Vistas couldn’t stop her now. Not when Raspberry finally had found her place in the world. A place where she was wanted, where her magic could be used for more good than just making small shiny gems just to make a living, where there were ponies who knew what she was and loved her regardless, where she finally had something to hold her down such that she would willingly defend it against anything fate threw at her now.

  


A place…called home.


	51. Book2 Ch.26 Saving Grace

Rise of the Furball Chapter 26: “Saving Grace”

Coco Pommel sighed, looking out the window of the hotel room that she was supposedly going to have all to herself. The view was decent enough, a high vantage point looking out on the forests bordering Baltimare, but otherwise it only reminded her that this was only a temporary change from her usual stomping grounds of Manehattan.

“Coco! Where’s that decaffeinated coffee I sent you for?!”

Another sigh before the under-appreciated mare answered. “On the table in front of the fireplace, right where you told me to put it.” No answer, though that was expected. Suri Polomare had dragged Coco all the way across Equestria simply so she could “visit” a friend who was in the dressmaking business. And by “visit” it was really implied to be “steal any half-decent rejected designs to be incorporated in Suri’s next line” in all likelihood. Fashion Week was coming up in a few months and Suri had, as usual, slacked off in actually designing anything so now she was rushing to throw something together simply to stack her portfolio. It was for those reasons Coco never shared any of her ideas with Suri, the more professional of the ill-fitting pair would just claim they were hers and Coco “stole” them, resulting in a pay cut.

But, Suri was also more wise about how the world worked, and with how cutthroat the fashion industry was it had been fortunate she’d even let Coco be her assistant. It was pure luck, however, that Suri really didn’t care that much about Coco’s personal history, because if she ever learned about how deep Coco was connected to the Changeling invasion of-

Something in the corner of her eye caught the wandering focus of the mare, breaking her train of thought. A new one began, however, when what looked like a ghost pony was darting in and out of the thicket, away from Coco’s point of view.

**“COCO!”** shouted Suri all of a sudden, followed by the feeling of an empty cup of coffee hitting the back of Coco’s head. The surprise attack caught her off guard, balance suddenly being lost as she tumbled onto her side. The cup harmlessly hit the carpeted floor, being made of an unbreakable material. “I don’t pay you to stare off into space, do I?”

“Uh, n-no, no you don’t! My bad, Miss Suri!” quickly apologized Coco, already back on her hooves with one holding the coffee cup.

“I’d say, you look pale. Well, pale- _er_ than usual, anyway, like you just saw a ghost.”

“I, er, thought I did, but it was probably just my imagination!”

“Your imagination will be the end of you at this rate. But not while I still have use for you. Come, come, we have work to do. And get me another cup of coffee!”

“Y-yes! Right away!” With one quick glance back at the window, Coco chided herself for being stupid. _Ghost pony, as if!_ She thought while she left the room to get the fifth cup of decaf coffee for her employer, _I must be going mad under Suri’s payroll, hopefully I’ll find something better at Fashion Week._

* * *

“Well, ‘Tia?” asked Luna, impatiently. “You said I needed to be here due to something involving mother?”

“Yes, well…”grumbled Celestia, “that was before Discord decided he needed to go use the restroom.”

“Typical, but then again it’s _Discord_ , not exactly unexpected.”

“Yes, but I do hope he knows better than to try and make all the royal paintings out of alignment again.” Snickered Celestia.

“Oh, I shan’t be doing that anytime soon,” said Discord, who surprisingly just walked through the door instead of some needlessly elaborate method of going through a wall. “After what Meadow Glade did to me when she caught me trying to replace the bleach reserves with milk, I have to wonder if she wasn’t originally some kind of pony terrorist who was trained since birth to try and overthrow governments!”

“The royal cleaning staff happens to be one of the last lines of defense should the worst case scenario happen and an enemy force gets inside the castle,” explained Celestia with a sly smile, “because nopony will suspect the lowly cleaning maid to know how to snap an enemy’s neck with just their tail.”

“Wait, wasn’t that _my_ idea, back before the whole Nightmare Moon thing?” pointed out Luna.

“I never said it wasn’t, Lu-Lu. It’s still relatively recent that the cleaning staff require basic knowledge of at least two different kinds of martial arts namely because that’s how long it took for me to lobby for more control over the screening process.”

“Yeah, a stone prison was _merciful_ compared to army of trained killers you have mopping the floors. I guess your mother was right in asking me to withhold this scroll until you were ready,” commented Discord.

“ _Thou hast done what?!”_ bellowed Luna, her temper flaring to the point shades of Nightmare Moon may or may not have flashed through Celestia’s mind. “ _Present thine possession to us immediately!”_

“Hey, easy your majesty, Faust told me to hold onto it until I felt you were ready, and now I do.” Discord snapped his talons and instantly a scroll appeared in his grasp. Celestia instantly recognized it as the scroll she’d been allowed to ‘feel’ with her magic, but not read, back at the abandoned mine shaft where Raspberry Beryl met her BFF Heliodor seven years ago.

“And pray tell what reason thou hath for deeming us unworthy prior to this day?” snorted Luna, snatching the scroll from Discord’s palm with one swing of her foreleg.

“Well, until a few years ago you two _were_ still in a war of succession, were you not?”

“We will have you know that-“ argued Luna, before catching herself. After a moment of thought, she resumed her initial demeanor before resorting to the RCV. “Apologies, you’re right, Celestia and I weren’t getting along as well as we should have, for both the sake of our mother and our country.”

“That’s behind us, now,” said Celestia, “but currently I am wondering what is the business with Raspberry Beryl. We _did_ meet mother following the defeat of Sable Loam, if only briefly and by complete chance, but at no point did she mention some kind of prophecy about a green phoenix.”

“You met her?” Discord asked, surprised, “Ah, I will need to ask how she was doing at a later time. Right now, it is of the utmost importance that you two read your mother’s note and be up to speed.”

With a nod, the royal sisters took the scroll in their magic auras in unison and unrolled it, unsure of what they would find.

* * *

“So…good!” gasped Lightning Dust in-between face-fulls stuffed with food.

“Hey, mind saving some for the rest of us?” nickered Dash

“Oh, don’t worry, there’s plenty of food to go around,” cheerily said Cashmere, “and if not I’ll just go make more. I’m guessing you’re pretty hungry, aren’t you?”

Lightning could only nod eagerly as she started to resemble a winged hamster more than a pegasus pony.

“Yeah, thanks for hosting us for dinner, Mr. Ascot and Mrs. Cashmere!” thanked Fluttershy, whose plate was loaded with more food than the timid mare could possibly eat, though mostly out of Cashmere’s insistence that the ponies help themselves to the smorgasbord of food that had seemingly been spontaneously produced as a result of Raspberry returning home.

“Oh, but we simply couldn’t do anything less!” exclaimed Ascot, “after all, it’s not everyday this old inn plays host to a princess and her entourage at the same time somebody as special as Raspberry is allowed to be with us again!”

“Actually,” spoke up Twilight, “there’s two princesses being served here, tonight.” She gave a wink to Raspberry, only the recipient could only cringe with embarrassment.

“What? There’s another princess coming? Which one? I mean, no offense, but Cadence is quite a bit taller than our usual clientele and then for both Celestia and Luna…well, I don’t think our ceilings are high enough!”

“Oh, dear,” said Rarity, “I do believe I forgot to mention _that_ part of the events from Canterlot in my letters.”

“You kinda forgot to tell me you were _sending_ the letters,” grumbled Raspberry, trading a look with Heliodor as they didn’t know what was coming.

“Will somepony please explain who’s coming to dinner?” asked Cashmere.

“Raspberry’s the other princess!” happily exclaimed Pinkie. “Since she’s part of Sombra’s bloodline, and Sombra’s bloodline is old Equestriani royalty, she’s a princess!”

“Is that true?” eagerly asked Cashmere, “You’re a _princess_?”

The shocked look on Raspberry’s face told all. “Uh, hold on, I get that I’m of royal blood, if only for the worst reasons imaginable, but that doesn’t make me a-“

“Actually, yes it does,” said Twilight, smiling with a touch of embarrassment. “I was supposed to tell you earlier, but as you have a very direct connection to the royal bloodline, you are in fact a princess of the realm. Your investiture is to be planned over the course of the next week and held in the Crystal Empire.”

Raspberry looked at Twilight as if the purple alicorn had grown a second horn. “You’re kidding. _Please_ tell me you’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

“You’re saying that you and the other princesses thought it would be a good idea to take the pony who nearly demolished the ruling body of Equestria _by complete accident,_ and make her somepony on _your_ level in the Crystal Empire? Uh, have you forgotten whose blood runs in my veins and why me, having been constantly reminded today of how I’m basically as much a danger as Sombra, getting crowned a legit princess _in the place that he screwed over for decades before he made it vanish for a thousand years_ might not be a smart idea? I mean, do you _really_ think the crystal ponies will accept that?”

“Ah don’t see why not,” commented Applejack. “For all you say King Subaru’s blood runs in your veins, it’s not the only thing you got. After all, didn’t you say the only reason that even happened is ‘cause he got involved with your ancestors who were crystal ponies? You’re one of them, too, even if your blood isn’t exactly of pure origins.”

“Besides,” added Twilight, “you’re only going to be a princess in pretense.”

Raspberry still wasn’t swayed in her skepticism, “I still don’t see the need.”

“You can blame your blood on that. Because you’re the only known remaining member of the Crystal Imperial family, it is your inherited place in the royal family. And yes, you _have_ to be named a princess, because not doing so will have the other countries see that as a sign of disrespect or weakness on part of the actual ruling princesses. You can guess the myriad of ways they’ll try to exploit that.”

“You mean boring us to death?” said Rainbow, pantomiming a fake yawn, “Not that it’s not interesting or anything about hearing why Equestria’s next princess is going to be the pony who got closer to taking over Equestria than Sombra-

“By complete accident,” interjected Rarity, giving a sly wink to her former source of gems.

“Uh, yeah, point is we’re going to be dragged into it _anyway_ later, so I’d rather we talk about something else while we’re still in Ponyville.”

“Yeah, wasn’t there somethin’ about a story we were supposed to hear?” said Apple Bloom, who was eager to leave all the business involving royalty behind.

“Yes, Mr. Ascot was going to tell us about how Raspberry saved him, right?” asked Fluttershy, who had probably paid more attention to Heliodor than the actual discussion being held.

“Honestly, I didn’t do _that_ much!” whined Raspberry, though her tone implied she knew otherwise.

“I’d say not lettin’ me get turned into timberwolf chow is worth more recognition than just ‘not that much’!” reasoned Ascot, who absentmindedly rubbed a hoof over what looked like the scarred remains of a serious wound. “Especially not when it was a pack of twenty or so of the bastards tryin’ to eat me.”

“She _what?!”_ exclaimed all the ponies who didn’t work at the Retreat, turning to look wide-eyed at Raspberry.

The mulberry unicorn sighed, figuring she might as well let it pass. “It was really more like fifteen.”

“Ah, now she comes around at last,” chuckled Cashmere. “I guess that’s your cue for starting, dear.”

“I believe so, too.” Replied the older pegasus, taking his seat alongside Cashmere at the far end of the table, next to Raspberry. “Now, picture this; several months ago, on a dark and stormy night-“

*THUNK* went Raspberry, face having made contact with the table. “Of all the ways to start it, you go with _that_ one…” she lamented, muffled by the table, “like I wasn’t _already_ being treated like some kind of higher power.”

“Ah, let me have some liberties!” laughed Ascot, “but regardless, you all get the idea. It was that big storm from a while back; thunder crashing everywhere, rain coming down as if Cloudsdale’s plumbing had broken lose, one of the worst storms in years! But, obviously, the storm wouldn’t be the most memorable thing from that night…

* * *

“Ascot!” called out Cashmere, “Ascot! Get back inside, the storm’s too fierce!”

“I can handle it!” called back the pegasus. The supercell that had formed over the Everfree Forest was now making its way over Ponyville, wreaking havoc on all that stood before it. The weather team had done their best to weaken it, but despite succeeding in splitting the thunderhead in two such that half of the storm would be caught above the Everfree until it was safe to let loose, it was only the lesser half. The stronger half was hell bent on destroying Ponyville and while it wouldn’t succeed, it would cause the insurance companies no end of trouble afterwards.

But in the middle of the storm, the old hanging sign of the Traveler’s Retreat, a relic from earlier times, had been buffeted hard enough for one of its two hooks to fail, leaving the other one perilously in the wake of the storm.

While the loss of the sign normally would have been not that big a deal, _this_ sign was special. It was a part of the Retreat, it’s mounting having been the moment Ascot and Cashmere had opened for business, and had served as a welcoming beacon to all those who needed a place to rest and were of little money.

Thus, it was paramount that the sign be saved. As reattachment during the storm was out of the question, Ascot was determined to retrieve the sign before it blew away into the night and bring it inside.

“Honey, please, come back!” cried out Cashmere, “the sign isn’t worth risking your life! We can get it replaced!”

“Not this specific one! Too many memories!” answered the pegasus, having reached the sign post. “See? Halfway done already! Now, just gotta…get…this…undon-“

As Ascot managed to get a grip on the sign, an extra powerful gust of wind blew upon the earth. The strengthened air current was too much for the pegasus, maybe if he’d been younger he could have held on, but he was almost old enough for people to start assuming he was a grandpa and he simply wasn’t capable. The gale roared into him, making his hoof on the sign’s post lose its grip just as the sign’s one remaining connection snapped. Acting as some kind of kite, the sign took the hapless pegasus clutching onto it for dear life as together they were whisked away into the black oblivion.

**“NOOOOO! ASCOT!”** screamed Cashmere, having just watched her husband be stolen into the night. She would have raced after him and probably been one of the few ponies killed in the storm, but some of the Retreat’s patrons managed to pull her back into the safety of the Retreat’s interior before locking the door behind them. Cashmere knew that her guests had done the right thing, but it didn’t stop her uncontrollable sobbing in mourning the loss of something vastly more important than the sign of a small bed and breakfast.

* * *

“Wow, Ah’m sorry to hear about the sign,” remarked Apple Bloom, “but honestly the new sign looks like it fits just as well as the old one.”

“Huh? The ‘new’ sign? What are you…oh!” Cashmere started laughing, “That’s not a replacement, the sign out there is the same one the crazy old coot I love nearly died trying to save!”

“Well, I _did_ save it, didn’t I?” replied Ascot.

“At the cost of what little flight endurance you have left, what with that nasty scar you got in return. But at least _that_ will help keep you thinking clearly should another storm come.”

“Hey, I can still fly, thank you!” grumbled the pegasus, “but I would like to think the storm brought us something more than a good story, dear…”

* * *

Ascot didn’t know how long he’d been out, all he could remember was managing to throw the sign towards the ground when he thought he’d seen the outline of the Everfree Forest’s edge. Then an updraft carried him upwards and away from anything close to a landmark, before he suddenly slammed into what had probably been a tree. He knew Cashmere was going to be furious at him, that risking his life had been stupid considering, but chances were things would end up alright. If he was lucky, he’d landed near the hut of the zebra alchemist Zecora, where he could wait out the storm. A dingy cave would also do if need be.

But as he quickly found out, even with the thick forest to act as a breakwind to the storm, the pouring rain and what gusts dodged the trees made it difficult for him to move. It was also so dark he could barely see in front of him, having to take care not to step into any patches of poison joke or hit trees. Fortunately, he came across a well-worn path soon enough. The origins of the path didn’t seem to be logical, as ponies didn’t come into the forest beyond the one time on Nightmare Night to visit the statue or to visit Zecora on other days, but both the statue and Zecora’s hut were relatively close to the edge and a stone’s throw away from Ponyville proper practically. The path he was on now appeared to have been used regularly in the past, but was abandoned maybe a few months ago and the first signs of reclamation by the forest beginning to emerge.

“Hopefully this path will lead somewhere…” grunted Ascot, struggling to resist the fury of the storm. For maybe another half hour, the only noise he heard was the whistling of the gale, the pitter-patter of rain, and the crack of thunder. But he soldiered on regardless, knowing he had to get somewhere safe to get through the night.

Just then, a new sound was heard. A low, guttural growl.

“Wh-who’s there?” asked the pony to whatever was in the darkness. His answer was not verbal, rather it was when he turned around that he saw a pair of glowing green eyes, framed by what looked like wood. “T-T-Timberwolf!” he cried, turning back around and now racing at the fastest clip he could muster, the wooden beast behind him immediately giving chase with more joining in the hunt. Now it truly was a game of life or death, only Ascot knew he had to get to town now. A cave would only make him the next meal of the brutes for sure.

But good fortune would come in a strange way. He did not reach the edge of the forest. Rather, in his galloping stride, his hoof landed on a stray twig that slipped under him. His balance lost, Ascot found himself rolling like a ball off the trail and then violently down a hill, hitting more branches and trees and other obstructions. By the time he got to the bottom, he was dazed and in need of a bath, yet he would soon have bigger problems still.

**“AARRRRRGGHH!”** he whinnied, feeling the pain as a particularly agile timberwolf had managed to catch up and had sunk it’s splintered jaw into the base of his left wing’s mantle, then twisting it slightly and causing the injured muscle to sprain. Ascot managed to time a kick with his hindlegs such that it got the wolf off of him, but the damage was done. His advancing age was making itself known to him as there was no way he was going to make it anywhere out of this crater, not after having pushed himself to the absolute limit with having fought the storm. The mind-numbing pain from his bleeding wound also ensured his doom even if he had the strength to fly in the storm, as did the growing number of timberwolves encircling him. These wolves weren’t entirely stupid, they knew to just wait for him to fall unconscious before tearing him limb from limb, a time rapidly approaching.

Yet, as his legs gave out, his body crashing to the ground as he struggled to stay awake, he noted something peculiar. At the bottom of the crater was what looked like the worn, shattered remnants of what had been a tomb stone. One such chunk was close enough that even with the poor conditions, he could just make out the scratches of the letters ‘-IR VIS-‘ in what had to have been the center. _A shame it will now be mine, too_ thought Ascot as he felt death draw near, _and that I’m never going to see my Cash-_

All hell broke loose when for no discernable reason, one of the timberwolves become enshrouded in green fire. The shock helping keep him awake a little longer, Ascot couldn’t figure out how a timberwolf could spontaneously combust in magic fire in the middle of pouring rain.

And then he saw the shining green bird, raising hell as it shot fire all over the place and lighting up the night. But moreover, he saw the silhouette of another pony. His strength reserves exhausted beyond any reason, he couldn’t even cry out as the pony with the bright red eyes, enshrouded by the cloak it wore, tried to rush to his aid only for seven or so wolves to ambush the newcomer. But before he finally passed out, he saw the bird shoot fire at the pony, hurting the wolves but doing no more than merely burning off the cloak on what was unmistakably a young unicorn mare, one Ascot had never seen. His last thought was of concern for the stranger.

* * *

“Y’know, I don’t recall ever getting an explanation for how you managed that trick,” mused Cashmere as she looked at the cringing Raspberry. “Of course, now that we know of your dark magic, it’s easy to see why you always dodged the question.”

“I must agree”, commented Rarity, ”it sounds impossible for somepony claiming a handicap of weak magic to be able to fight off an entire pack of timberwolves, much less in those kinds of conditions which any regular unicorn couldn’t have survived.”

“Yeah, a ‘regular’ unicorn,” said Raspberry, glumly.

Rarity immediately realized the damage. “Oh, darling, I didn’t mean it like that! You’re-”

Raspberry merely smiled. “Yeah, I know, but after years of being treated as a monster, ‘regular’ is still a word I don’t associate with my physical being.”

“No, Razz, my dear,” said Cashmere, “you’re not a monster, but you’re also more than just a regular unicorn. You’re a miracle.”

* * *

The following morning, search parties had been sent out to see if they could locate the lost pegasus, but in her heart, Cashmere feared the worst. It only became even more tragic when by the afternoon, all the search teams came up empty except for one, which had brought back _the sign_ of all things, reportedly found just before the edge of the Everfree. Cashmere had to be held back from beating the snot out of the group, though nothing could stop her screaming about why they couldn’t have found her husband instead of the dumb sign.

Nothing except the ringing of the front bell and an unfamiliar voice calling out ; ”E-excuse me, is this the Traveler’s Retreat?”

Her actions forced, Cashmere could do nothing but put on a fake expression and try to act like everything was fine. She held it for all of five seconds upon seeing what had come through the door.

There, standing as if it was truly the most natural thing in the world, was a strange sight. In the middle of it all was a mulberry unicorn, mane of cornflower and lilac which framed dark red eyes, both coat and mane looking like an absolute mess with leaves and a twig or two still in her tail. On her horn was perched a green – _green!_ – phoenix, accented with gold and for whatever reason looked like he was coming down with a bad cold.

But draped over the unicorn’s back was Ascot. He too looked to be in terrible condition, the remains of what looked like a burned garment having been hastily used as a tourniquet on a bloody wound on his left wing’s mantle, but his breathing was loud enough that there was no question; he was alive.

“Oh…oh my Celestia…” was all Cashmere could manage as she hurried over to make sure her husband was alive. “As…Ascot, are…are you alright?”

“Yeah, not in the best condition, but I’m-“

*SMACK*

Raspberry didn’t make any reaction, merely closing her eyes and hoping the moment, an unintentional reminder of her traumatic youth at the hooves of an unloving father, would pass soon enough. Ascot, for his part, was stunned as his cheek throbbed red at the mark left by his wife smacking him.

“Do you know what you put me through?!” she cried, before dragging him off the back of the unicorn and hugging him as if letting go would only get him lost again. “Don’t you _ever_ do something that stupid to me! I can’t lose you, Ascot, not after all this time!”

“I know, love,” apologized the stallion, “I think I’ve used up my karma for surviving certain death, what with this pony having saved me.” His eyes went wide when he realized he’d forgotten something. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe I caught your name.”

“Me? Oh, I’m Raspberry Beryl. My pet phoenix here is Heliodor.”

“Miss Beryl, I can’t thank you enough for bringing me my husband back. If…if there’s anything at all we can do to repay you, just let us know!”

Just then Heliodor sneezed.

“Well, actually,” started Raspberry, “I am in need of a place to stay. I’m not from around here, you see, because I’m a gem peddler and I travel from town to town. So-“

“Give me five minutes and I’ll have a room ready for you, though I must ask if you could please keep your pet under control.”

“Wha? Oh, no, Helee only has a cold, he was a major help in saving Mr. Ascot last night even though a bird of fire like him doesn’t do well in the rain, he’s very well behaved, I assure you!”

“Normally we don’t allow magical pets like phoenixes, due to insurance, but…I think we can make an exception here.”

* * *

“That blasted bird incinerated my third best pillow case the next day.” Complained Cashmere, good naturedly, “but to his credit, it wasn’t intentional since he was sick, and thankfully he hasn’t burned the entire place down.”

Heliodor tweeted angrily, but all that caused was a few laughs around the table.

“But there you have it, girls,” said Ascot, “that’s how Raspberry and Helee saved my life.”

“That’s still a nasty scar, though.” Pointed out Fluttershy.

“Bah, compared to what would have happened, I honestly would have been happy even if I’d had to lose the whole wing, sure this wound still makes it difficult for me to fly under my own power and no way I’m going to visit Cloudsdale on it without help, but I can’t say I had plans of moving back to the clouds when I married Cashmere and opened a groundside bed and breakfast.”

“That still doesn’t stop you from straining it to the point of risking tearing it back open, you know…” chastised Cashmere, before noticing something was amiss elsewhere at the table. “Applejack, dear, is something the matter?”

“That’s what Ah’m tryin’ to figure out,” replied the farmpony. “Rewindin’ the story a bit, did Ah hear you correctly in that you were able to _read_ part of what had been on that tombstone?”

“Yes.” Answered Ascot, “in fact I’m sure of it. The whole setting was strange, that’s what has probably kept it in my memory much more vividly then…well, whatever it was I was trying to say!”

Cashmere and Ascot noted that all the ponies at the table were now interested in that trivial detail as tension could be felt in slight amounts here and there. “This tombstone fragment…what were the letters on it?”

“Well, let’s see…I know there was a space, and the first word had the letters “I” and “R” at the end, then the space, and the second word had V-I-S before the edge. I have to figure somepony was buried there a long time ago, maybe a century or so. Certainly seemed like a picturesque place to lay one to rest had the weather not been so nasty.”

“And the wolves, so many damn timberwolves,” added Raspberry, “I might as well confess that half the reason my intervention even worked was that the timberwolves realized they couldn’t really hurt me. And then when I dropped the disguise, that _really_ got them running!”

“Disguise?” inquired Ascot and Cashmere simultaneously.

“Oh, yeah, _that_ …” said Raspberry, a blush coming forth and her ears drooping. “Uh, are you sure you really want to see that? I mean, I’m not going to ever _not_ look like this around the retreat, it defeats the point of working at a bed and breakfast when you scare off all the clientele.”

“I believe you should, dear,” mused Rarity. “you still have problems coming to terms in accepting that side of yourself, but aside from a few details you aren’t as hideous as your ancestor.”

“Plus, didn’t you say you are in that form anyway when you sleep?” added Rainbow, “it might be a good idea to let your employers know what they might find in your bed so they don’t…overreact.”

“Indeed, I agree that would be for the best,” affirmed Cashmere. “I nearly had a heart attack when Ascot went missing, so if I mistake you for something else, Razz, it might truly be the end of me.”

“Well, alright” acquiesced the red unicorn, “but don’t scream, OK? Don’t want to wake the guests, after all.” With the confidence gained in doing this in front of only the ponies she trusted the most, Raspberry let the dark side take over. Normally, she couldn’t stand keeping her eyes open unless she needed to use the unnerving effect of her red eyes shifting to a blood red color, as she had on Blueblood, but here she felt the need to maintain eye contact with Ascot and Cashmere. If they were going to go so far as claim Raspberry as an adoptive daughter, then this was going to be possibly the most important event of the day, even more than being pardoned by the highest powers in Equestria for her dark magic use. She needed Ascot and Cashmere to accept this was her real form.

Aside from a sudden gasp from Cashmere, who had lunged slightly into Ascot’s embrace, the room was silent, Raspberry and the others already aware of the truth waiting for the old couple’s response. Raspberry in particular knew they were trying to come up with words to express what they were feeling, the transformation having been momentary and signaled to end when Razz had felt her fangs come into contact with the bottom of her mouth.

“Th-this…is your _real_ form?” stammered Cashmere, clearly trying to equate the pony before her with the one who had selflessly saved her husband.

“What, Rarity didn’t include _this_ in the letters, either?” snarked Raspberry, a quick glance in Rarity’s direction revealing the embarrassed look on the fashionista’s face. “But, yes, this is me.”

“I’m not seeing the problem, here,” bluntly said Ascot, noticing the raised eyebrows being given to him by everypony. “What? I’m serious, if it was Nightmare Night then everypony would think it’s a great costume, but even so it’s still obviously the same pony we all know as Raspberry Beryl.”

“Yeah, it’s still me!” confirmed Raspberry with a small grin, “my usual colors are what I would really look like without the, um…”

“Corruption?” piped up Apple Bloom, trying to be helpful.

“Not _quite_ the word I wanted, since it’s only my appearance and horn that are really affected. Oh, the teeth, too, I guess. But still, as everypony helped me see, my ‘disguise’ isn’t so much that as it is just me showing who I am beneath the dark colors and the crystal.”

“Well, I, er…” stumbled Cashmere in her words, “it’s a bit more extreme than I thought, admittedly.”

“Oh…” Raspberry’s grin dropped as did her head and ears, ashamed of how she looked once again.

“Now wait a minute!” snapped the earth pony, getting up from her seat and walking over to the younger unicorn. “Don’t take what I said as if I am disapproving of you, Raspberry, it’s just…strange to see somepony Ascot and I have come to cherish as family turn out to look so different. It will take some getting used to, no getting around that, but then again it’s not like I honestly cared about that back when I was younger and was swooning over a pony my parents considered a freak.”

“So I have six limbs, big deal!” laughed Ascot, “the way her parents acted, well, I’m sure it was similar to how most ponies normally regard you, Raspberry.”

“With cries of anger and pitchforks and torches?” sarcastically answered the unicorn, now in a hug with her motherly figure.

“Actually, there was this one time…”

The rest of the night was spent having the ponies listen to Ascot and Cashmere recount the wilder days of their youth, two young rebels against a society who decided an earthy filly with a knack for making things comfortable couldn’t love a pegasus who just really liked wearing ascots. It was embellished as all hell, but still entertaining. And Raspberry was happiest of all, for she had indeed finally found a family who loved her. Nothing could ruin this moment.

* * *

“I’m gonna _ruin_ that bitch!” seethed Fair Vista as she ran through the forest. It had been a few days since the ill-fated attempt to possess Apple Bloom had gone so horribly wrong. And it was all because of that dark magic using unicorn. Vista _still_ couldn’t wrap her head around how easily her plot had been handed to her by a spineless wimp. Granted, her unexplained ability to _not die_ had something to do with it, but mostly the dark magic.

Without assistance, Fair Vista knew it was only a matter of time before somepony reported something that would have the unicorn and the phoenix back on her trail, this time looking to end her for good. She already was unsure of how much time she had left on this plane of existence, certainly shortened as she still didn’t feel right even this long after being slammed into dark crystal all over the place. She needed to get a hoof-hold on reality before she could resume anything else.

Fortunately, she’d been able to get to Baltimare with little trouble. She thought she’d seen some other pansy-looking pony notice her a few hours ago, but it was nothing. Ghosts didn’t exist, after all, at least not to those who weren’t aware of the supernatural world around them. Or the secret the ghost sought.

“Ah, here it is!” said the spirit as she found the opening that led underground. For whatever reason, the one she’d tried to locate in Ponyville’s surroundings had proven unreachable as the entrance had been sealed off by a rock named Tom (how she knew it had a name she neither could rationalize or even care enough about to investigate), but the Baltimare detour was wide open.

Soon, she was grinning evilly as the reflective surface of the pool shone back to her. The Mirror Pool would serve her needs nicely.

“It’s just a setback that needs to be dealt with, Sable dear,” whispered Vista, “but I’ll make our plans succeed. I just need to get more… _physical_ with our enemies.”


	52. Book2 Ch.27 Daughters of Darkness

Rise of the Furball Chapter 27: “Daughters of Darkness”

“Ah you sure about this?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Twi said it was for the best, her and Razz, so Ah gotta believe them,” replied Applejack, no eager about the matter than her younger sister. “But…yeah, Ah’m no good at lyin’, how Ah managed to keep it down last time for so long is beyond me, but even though Ah was ‘cured’ Ah just know Big Mac’s been keepin’ an eye on me just to be sure.”

“Just keep your cool, Ah guess?” Apple Bloom’s voice didn’t carry confidence.

As it was, both Apples were sitting on the edge of the farm, having had to go on a late night run following leaving the impromptu celebration at the Traveler’s Retreat. They were in their wolf forms, having decided it would be for the best to stick to the trees to remain out of sight until they could get back on the main path in their regular forms. But first, they had to make sure nopony was around. Especially not the two ponies who stood to be hurt the most.

“Even if they have to find out about it tonight, at least the most they’ll lose is a decent night’s sleep.” Applejack motioned for Apple Bloom to follow, as they did so they shifted back to their normal pony forms. The only noise they heard was the clip-clopping of their hooves as they approached the familiar homestead. Thankfully, the sound of loud snoring indicated Granny was asleep, but that still left Big Mac unaccounted for.

“Oh, please be asleep, big brother,” whispered Apple Bloom, first to go into the house. This was her home, she’d lived here all her life, even seen it when the only light was coming out of the windows from the moon. But now, something felt out of place, like it didn’t belong. It was her.

“You feel it too, huh?” Applejack’s voice came from behind, a slight undertone of sorrow in it. “Ah felt it back then, too, worst feelin’ ever.”

“Even more than when…when you changed?”

“Worse than both times. Combined, even. You get used to the change, to becomin’ somethin’ other than a pony. But the feelin’ that this isn’t where you belong? It don’t go away. Not until you truly come to terms with yourself, as it was with me back when Ah told everypony after Cerberus attacked Rarity’s house. Only Ah doubt it’s as bad for you as it was for me, since you had confidantes.”

“Wh-what are you talkin’-”

Applejack looked back at her sister and smiled. “You think Ah believed somethin’ like becomin’ a werewolf could happen to you and somehow both Sweetie and Scootaloo would be kept in the dark? Ah reckon’ they knew from the beginnin’, didn’t they?”

“Yeah,” confessed Apple Bloom, “they actually were with me when it happened.”

“Look, don’t be ashamed that you trusted them more about this than me or the rest of the family,” comforted Applejack, “Ah mean, you shoulda told us from the beginnin’, but you had your reasons of wantin’ to keep the family out of it, to spare us more pain, so you turned to the most trustworthy ponies you knew. But now that we all know, it’s time to tell Granny and Big Mac. They need to know.”

“Tomorrow, of course.” Said Apple Bloom, indirectly reminding Applejack the Apples were asleep.

“Yeah, tomorrow. But now…Ah think we need some rest.” Replied Applejack with a wink and a smile. With a final hug, the two sisters parted ways at the top of the stairs to go to their respective rooms. Only, after Apple Bloom fully closed her door…

“Cuz!” came the hushed cry of one Babs Apple, taking her cousin into a big hug.

“Hey, Babs! Glad to see somepony’s awake to welcome me back.”

“You kiddin’? Ah haven’t seen you in days, not since Nightmare Night! Is it true that Raspberry Beryl is in fact a dark magic user? That she’s descended from King Subu himself? That-“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down, Babs! Look, Ah’m tired, but as much as Ah’ve got stories to tell, Ah’m sure you got news to fill me in about what the Crusaders were doin’ in the absence of the most important member.”

“Actually, there’s somethin’ you gotta know about what we decided, but…” Babs put on an evil smirk, “you’ll have to wait until tomorrow, since you won’t tell me now!”

“Great, now, can Ah go back to mah bed now?”

“Uh, this is my room. Your door is right next to mine, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Apple Bloom blushed as she backpedaled out of Babs’ room to go back to her own.

* * *

The next morning…

“I trust you slept well?” asked Twilight, a knowing smile on her face.

“You have _no idea_ ,” replied Raspberry. “The fact I could sleep like a normal pony for the first time in my life _without_ my damn horn impaling the pillows thanks to you enchanting them…it was _heavenly_ to put it mildly.”

“I’m glad to hear it!” laughed the alicorn. “Though I must admit, I do still find it amusing that for all the power Sombra had, he doesn’t seem to have been able to cast a protection charm on mere pillows to sleep well.”

“I personally think he slept on rocks, honestly.”

“Well he was all about those crystals.”

“Yessss, my crystal _pilllowwwwwsssszzzz!_ ” mocked Raspberry in her strangled impersonation of Sombra, complete with cock-eyed expression. Both unicorn and alicorn laughed heartily.

“It’s good to see you in such high spirits, at least,” noted Twilight. “The last time you were here at Ponyville Station, well, you were understandably glum.”

“What are you talking about? Sure, I’d been separated from Heelee and was probably going to be put to death for my magic handicap, but otherwise I was just dandy!” Raspberry sarcastically replied. “In all seriousness, I wasn’t sure I was ever going to be back here. Or see Heelee again, for that matter.” As if that had been a summons, the flash of green from the sky was seen for only a moment before the brilliant bird divebombed to a lower altitude, then soared with wide wings around the station, attracting the attention of all the ponies who were waiting for their trains.

“Showoff,” grumbled Twilight good naturedly. She was still getting the hang of her wings, flying was no longer a problem but anything more complicated than a banked turn was still beyond her grasp. But soon there was something else to focus on. “Oh, hey, it’s here!”

A high-pitched whistle, sounding far deeper than a normal train whistle, sounded in the distance. All the ponies who heard it lost interest in the phoenix and looked down the tracks to see the source of the mysterious sound. Heliodor himself landed atop his mistress’s horn in curiosity. Soon, the magical machine came into view on the horizon. It was unlike anything many of the ponies there had seen; a completely crystal train. The engine billowed pink smoke from its smokestack, it’s plow-like design the head of a small set of train cars that, together, looked more like a wheeled snake than the common trains or even a streamliner like the Grienbrier that passed through once or twice a week. Unmistakable was the sound of the brakes, which unfortunately didn’t sound _quite_ as nice with the loud screeching.

Nonetheless, the train noisily came to a halt with a set of doors right in front of Twilight and Raspberry. They opened, revealing two occupants; Princess Cadence and Prince Consort Shining Armor.

“Wow, _this_ is the new private royal train?” asked Twilight, impressed.

“Yep!” confirmed Shining, “this is actually it’s first maiden run since finishing testing. Obviously the brakes…need work.”

“But it is unbelievably comfortable!” added Cadence, who briefly stuck the forward part of her body to wave to the ponies on the platform before signaling the conductor to depart. “The usual roughness isn’t found on here, something to do with a new suspension chassis or whatever, Shiny can probably go into more detail about it.”

“Can he explain why-oooh!” said Raspberry, cut off by the sudden lurching of the train car as the engine pulled its coaches away from the station. Once she regained balance, she continued; “Uh, explain why there isn’t any accommodations for Helee in here?”

“Oh, um…” Shining realized that, somehow, the instructions for furnishing the interior of the royal crystal train had not included something as simple as a bird stand. He couldn’t ask Raspberry to simply keep her pet on her horn, certainly even though her horn was capable of the otherwise impossible due to it’s true form, it was an awkward position to have to handle for several hours straight.

“Don’t worry if you forgot, not many ponies have birds for pets, either, though I thought you had one, Twilight?”

“You mean Owlie?” replied the purple alicorn, “he’s still in Canterlot, though now that Princess Celestia said I need to stay in Ponyville to watch over you, we’ll be picking him up along the way to the Crystal Empire. Both him and Spike.”

“Oh, he’s good to go now?” asked Raspberry, lifting her foreleg for Heliodor to transfer to.

“Yeah, his throat is all healed up. It will be good to have my number one assistant back!”

“That’s great!”

“Hey, uh Raspberry?” cautiously asked Cadence, having noticed why Razz had moved Heliodor. “What are you doing?

“Making a bird stand, of course,” replied the unicorn as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Then she remembered how she was going to manage that. “Oh, sorry for not warning you beforehand, your majesties.”

“You can conjure up a bird stand?”

“Well, sorta. I was just going to make one with my magic, provided that’s okay with you.”

“Actually, I think we’d all like a demonstration of your creative magic…provided you don’t turn it on us, of course!”

“Now, I wouldn’t be a very good guest if that was the case, now would it? But please, stand back, a craftspony needs her space.”

The two alicorns and stallion backed up to give the requisite space, Heliodor opting to depart is foreleg roost for the ground. Gently smiling, Raspberry turned to face the other end of the coach, the dark bubbling aura intensifying around her horn. With a deep breath, she seemed to take a moment of concentration before opening her eyes and letting the magic flow.

Initially, the spontaneous eruption of dark crystal was unnerving as the giant monolith of black appeared violently. But for only a second as it reached a set height, whereupon it stopped growing. With little twitches of her head as if using her horn to direct a concert, her horn in place of a conductor’s stick, she broke off multiple pieces of the large creation. Twilight, Shining, and Cadence watched in awe as the shards were suddenly refined in mid-air into jeweler's tools and started to chip away at the dark crystal. Large chunks were carved off, but dissolved into nothing as they fell from the sculpture, not even leaving dust.

Additionally, more beams of magic shot from her horn, but these circled around like gathering clouds, descending upon the work in progress like a fog. Upon contact, the black crystals shifted in coloration, the dark hues changing from pitch black to an almost clear turquoise that matched the walls of the coach perfectly, no sign of the shadows hidden by illusion. The now almost completed birdstand had lost a lot of weight, the last giant chunk falling off, but instead of dissolving, this chunk seemed to become a project in of itself, quickly becoming a well crafted little rack that the now rainbow-colored set of tools fit into. With one final twist of the neck, the bird stand levitated from the ground as if proof it wasn’t attached to the train car floor, with the set of tools made as part of the project racked and…let hanging in the air with its dark aura even as the bird stand was settled. Heliodor tweeted happily as he ascended his new throne.

“Um…there isn’t really anywhere I can put this,” said Raspberry, trying to find the best place to put the tools, “I’m not much of an interior designer.”

“Oh, let me take it-“ replied Cadence, but was stopped by Shining.

“Cady, no, you’re still weak around dark magic.”

“Huh? What are you-“ asked Razz, before remembering Sombra’s brief reign of terror. “Oh…I understand.” Her head and ears drooped.

“Shiny!” angrily chastised the pink pony, “I know you’re looking out for me, but it’s a bit hypocritical for her defense lawyer to be accusing her of the very thing you were defending her on, isn’t it?”

“No, he’s right, I’ve heard how you had to go up against Sombra’s magic, it’s best not to risk-“

Cadence, with a huff, lit up her own magic and instantly the dark aura around the tools was joined by a bright blue. “I may be highly emotive, but that’s how I know your magic won’t hurt me even if it’s descended from Sombra. While I know little of dark magic, I know it has ties to emotion in its own way, namely the hatred and greed that fills most ponies who are driven to seeking the dark arts, to which Sombra himself is no exception. I felt it in his magic back when the empire was under siege, his pure, raw hatred being what primarily was his greatest weapon against me. Of course, your magic isn’t fueled by rage and anger, it’s just…different.”

“Thanks, Princess Cadence,” acknowledged Razz, her mood improved as she let her magic drop.

“Now, these are just beautiful!” gushed Cadence as she took each tool in her magic in turn. “I know they’re sculpting tools but…ah! This is the perfect spot!” Reassembled in the rack, the tools were placed in a perfectly sized spot on one of the bolted down seats. “You truly have a level of skill with your magic few ponies your age have.”

“Cady, you’re not going to suggest what I think you’re going to suggest, are you?” moaned Shining.

“Suggest what?” inquired Twilight.

“Shiny, we can’t let something like Sombra’s own sanctuary be wasted because of our own ignorance,” Cadence said firmly, a hardness coming into her eyes. “And with the next best thing to Sombra literally dropped into our-“

“Excuse me?!” exclaimed Raspberry.

Cadence realized her mistake, taking a deep breath of calming. “Apologies, you are to be a princess as much as Twilight and myself, or Shiny as a Prince, to refer to you as anything less is beyond irreproachable and disrespectful. It’s no excuse, but if you couldn’t tell this has been a hotly debated topic between my husband and I.”

“Well, I’d like to know what it is, since I can only guess it involves my magic.”

“Indeed. Your ‘punishment’ as it were was to be the go-to expert in situations involving dark magic on a level even the highest level unicorn mages do not dare try to understand. As it stands, there is such a problem in the Crystal Castle.”

“Back when Applejack was initially a werewolf, we sent Sandalwood and Lyra to do some research in the Crystal Empire,” explained Twilight, “only when they arrived did Cadence reveal that inside the Castle was Sombra’s own personal library, where he recorded the most ghastly things. They were able to find some stuff about Applejack’s condition, just in time too I might add.”

“But part of that involved removing a book from the room,” continued Shining, “and ever since the protective spell Sombra put on it has been getting stronger it seems. Originally we had some specially certified mages working on cataloguing what they could, but now nopony can really go in there without at worst getting a crippling headache, and as for Cady herself…”

“It’s best we don’t get into that,” cut off the love princess.

“Ah, I see,” said Raspberry, getting an understanding for the intentions at hoof. “It stands to reason that only a pony Sombra would recognize as worthy of his secrets, such as an heir, would be able to enter that room at this point. Hence, you want me to basically be a librarian?”

“More than that, really. The truth is, even the mages who were able to do anything in the room to read info, nopony really knew what the hell they were looking at. Sandalwood and Lyra were going through the old experiments, which while no less terrible, were at least legible. But right now the mages are actually scared to go any further even if they have the endurance to last in the room, since it is, well, dark magic and all.”

“You mentioned Sandalwood and Lyra got the info about werewolves from this inner library?” asked Raspberry, her focus intent on that detail.

“Yes, it’s regrettable that a place that is as bright and happy as the Crystal Empire will forever bear the horrific history of what Sombra did,” answered Cadence. “And it’s worse still that the ponies of today must revisit that terror through his writings in order to stop the ones that survived the ravages of time. But considering that there are now _three_ ponies who are werewolves along with this unknown threat that is Fair Vista, we must call upon the ancient texts again. And as much as I hate doing this to you the day after you were let free, but-“

“No, I understand,” cut off Raspberry. “It’s my task to go through his works to help better defend Equestria. Furthermore, I can’t help but feel guilty for having been the reason for Applejack becoming a werewolf again, so I would insist I be allowed to do this even if you didn’t because I may be the only hope they have of being restored. For real this time.”

“Thank you, Raspberry.” Twilight smiled in appreciation. “Now, we’ve still got a _long_ ride to the Empire, so let’s talk about something a bit better. Such as getting the foundations for this coronation under way!”

* * *

That afternoon…

“Both of you are jokin’, right?” asked Granny, incredulously. “Ah hope you are, even though normally you aren’t crackin’ jokes in that poor of a taste.”

“Eeyup.” added Big Mac, just as concerned.

“Ah wish we were, folks,” answered Applejack. “But the truth is that whatever happened down at Fair Vista’s grave? It didn’t fully cure me. From what the girls and Ah figure-“

“Look, we don’t care _how_ it happened, Applejack,” interrupted Granny. “If both of you are werewolves, might as well get the shock value over with and show us your other selves.”

A quick exchange of looks between the Apple sisters and a shared sigh, then with grimaces on their faces they shifted. The atmosphere was almost anticlimactic in how Granny and Big Mac reacted.

“How long?” asked Mac in a sigh.

“Depends on which one of us, actually,” said Applejack. “For me, it turns out Ah was only partially cured, lycanthropy never left mah blood.”

“And several months for me,” added Apple Bloom, “nopony’s sure how Ah got it.”

Granny just shook her head in disbelief. “Ah have to assume the fact whatever happened in the Everfree had somethin’ to do with this.”

“Yeah, pretty much, though you’re not gonna like the full story.”

“Ah don’t like it _now_. What in Equestria could possibly make it worse?”

“Because of who attacked Apple Bloom,” groaned Applejack. “Accordin’ to Apple Bloom and Lightnin’ Dust, it seems the _ghost_ of Fair Vista is dead set on finishin’ what Sable Loam started.”

“But…but how?” stammered Big Mac.

“Nopony knows. Not even Raspberry, who despite havin’ the same kinda magic that was used to create this damn curse in the first place, is capable of raisin’ the spirits of the dead.”

“Whoa, wait, so she actually _was_ guilty of usin’ dark magic and sellin’ fake crystals?” inquired Babs, having just returned from the bathroom. She immediately noticed the glares Granny and Big Mac shot at her. “Wh-what? Somethin’ the matter?”

“You didn’t seem surprised to see your two cousins lookin’ like wolves when you came in,” pointed out Granny. “Only reason that would be true is if you already knew _both_ of ‘em were cursed.”

“She kinda figured it out on her own,” admitted Apple Bloom, “though Ah didn’t initially want her to know, bein’ family an’ all.”

“But you told the others, didn’t you? Apple Bloom, you know how serious a matter this is, but keepin’ it from your own family but tellin’ your friends-“

“Granny!” interrupted Applejack. “Ah’ve already given her a speech like what Ah figure you’re gonna say, but to be fair she didn’t tell us ‘cause she wanted to spare us the pain after what happened with me. Granted, it’s no better than what Ah did when Ah became a werewolf, but-“ Something clicked in Applejack’s head. “Wait a sec…Bloomie, you _were_ responsible for what got Diamond Tiara in such a state followin’ that one storm, weren’t you?”

“Yes…” Apple Bloom’s head sunk low, any lower and it would have to burrow through the floor.

“And Ah’m bettin’ that while you know it was wrong now, you understand how that’s landed us in the situation we’re in currently. Land sakes, Ah’m bettin’ Silver Spoon knows it’s true, too, all things considered.”

“She does, but she’s on our side,” said Babs.

“Ah doubt that, Babs. After what she did with Diamond that got Apple Bloom alone with that monster-“

“No, that was all Tiara’s doin’,” corrected the brown filly, “after Apple Bloom saved Silver from the freak flood, her leg was broken. If you remember, Silver said she was just providin’ cover for Tiara ‘bein’ in the little fillies room’ while in reality that pink pest was layin’ a trail of dog treats to lead Apple Bloom to Fair Vista without anypony knowin’.”

“Yeah, Ah forgot Tiara and Vista had been workin’ together,” confessed Applejack. “Still don’t make Silver trustworthy for bein’ in on the secret, though.”

“Actually, ever since she split ties with Tiara, Silver’s been hangin’ out with the Crusaders and said she won’t tell anypony else about what’s goin’ on.”

“But does anypony know that Applejack’s a werewolf?” cautiously asked Mac.

“Ah don’t think so,” replied Apple Bloom. “Ah only ever told the Crusaders that she _was_ a werewolf – yes, Ah know that was bad but at the time Ah kinda just turned into one myself and was panicking – and there’s no way anypony we don’t know was made aware she’s a werewolf again.”

“Yeah, it’s mainly just the same ponies as before, only instead of Sandalwood and Lyra it’s Raspberry Beryl and Lightnin’ Dust.”

“Lightnin’?” asked Granny, “Wasn’t she that one pony who came to town drunk and made a scene by challengin’ you to a race or somethin’?”

“Yeah, turns out she got turned into a werewolf, too.” Groaned Applejack.

“Ah think we never got the full story, at last that’s what Ah think is bein’ implied here,” said Big Mac, a frown upon his muzzle. “And Ah think that needs to change.”

“There’s a _lot_ that needs to be explained,” sighed Applejack.

* * *

“Tiara, are you okay in there?” boomed the voice of Filthy Rich behind the door.

“Yes, Dad, I’m fine! Just doing some… _intensive_ study!” called back Diamond.

“You’ve been doing a lot of it, recently, it’s got your mother and I concerned. Are you alright?”

“Perfectly fine! It’s just that I’ve decided to apply myself more to my studies! My grades have been slacking somewhat and I don’t find that acceptable!”

“Alright, then, though it’s good to hear you’re putting all your worth into your education. But at the very least come out for some air now and then, alright?”

“Sure thing, Dad!”

Tiara waited a few minutes until the sound of her father’s hoofsteps were no longer heard. After having been severely punished for having tried to pull an incredibly mean prank (or so he’d been told, obviously the Princess and her cohorts were covering up Fair Vista’s involvement and the truth that werewolves were among the citizens of Ponyville) and then Silver publicly denouncing her by severing their friendship, the odds of Tiara ever exposing the truth had dropped sharply. Even more so following the disaster, as Fair Vista had truly vanished and there was no way to contact her.

“But I don’t need her, I don’t need anypony!” seethed Diamond as she put the final touches on her plan. Her ‘studies’ had involved extensive study of fields she normally considered the domain of unpopular nerds. Desperate times called for desperate measures, however, and without anything else better to occupy her time, she was forced to resort to the formerly unthinkable.

Now, on the large sheet of paper in front of her, in multiple colors of crayon, was the ultimate plan to expose the wolf among the sheep, or rather the bad apple among the ripe ponies. This was all or nothing, but this time, _this_ time Diamond was absolutely sure she’d made all the necessary provisions to ensure Apple Bloom would be exposed for what she was. Silver would come crawling back, begging for Diamond to take her back as a friend, and history books would forever proclaim her name as the pony who accomplished what a Princess alicorn could not. And even if a princess alicorn could do this, they wouldn’t do it anywhere close to as adorably as Diamond Tiara.


	53. Book2 Ch.28 Paranormal Poltergeist Presents Perfectly Perplexing Problem

Rise of the Furball Chapter 28: “Paranormal Poltergeist Presents Perfectly Perplexing Problem”

Apple Bloom was aghast at what she saw.

Ponyville, _destroyed_. All the buildings were wrecked, most of the windows broken, doors busted in, signs hanging precariously on weak hinges. The overcast atmosphere was probably the nicest thing she saw, even though it colored the sky gray and made everything even more depressing.

But, more eerily, the town was abandoned. Not a soul to be found. No bodies – _thank Celestia_ – but it was as if the entire population sans Apple Bloom had just…vanished.

**“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”** came the ethereal voice of one who should have been dead.

Apple Bloom’s fur stood on end, her head slowly turning to see the source, though she need not have done so as she already knew it was Fair Vista. Indeed, her corrupted ancestor was there, coming into view out of nothing, but at the same time, something was wrong. Her colors were fuller, there was sound with her steps, her eyes glowed even more menacingly. Then Apple Bloom realized it: Fair Vista had somehow _stopped_ being a ghost.

And then to add to the horror, Applejack and Lightning Dust emerged similarly, except…they _weren’t_ themselves. They had wild looks in their eyes, of feral bloodlust, both looking more like wolves than ponies.

Then more ponies came forward as wolves. Apple Bloom unconsciously started moving back slowly, a backwards step every time a face she knew from town emerged to reveal their mutation.

“Go ahead,” taunted Fair Vista, “run!”

The filly needed no more convincing. Assuming her wolf form, she darted off. There was no set destination in mind, though ironically the Everfree was probably a safer place than Ponyville, for once. But that was only if she could get there, an impossible task as at every crossroad she was cut off by more and more of Ponyville’s altered populace. Soon, she was herded into a dead end, with all of the town now against her, slowly proceeding forth. Fair Vista at the front, her eyes growing brighter still as her face became darker in shadow.

_“Gotcha.”_

Apple Bloom shot up in bed, screaming her head off.

**“NONONONONONONONONONONO!”**

She quickly realized it had all been a dream, that none of it had been real…at least until Applejack smashed through the door and got down to the ground like a wolf, snarling at any possible opposition.

**“AAAAAH!”** screamed Apple Bloom, again, moving as far back as she could without topping over the edge, her forelegs raised to block Applejack from seeing her face.

Applejack, realizing what had happened, stood back up and turned to her sister, concern on her face. “Apple Bloom, it’s me, Applejack! Everythin’s alright!”

“No, no it’s not!” cried the filly, “Y-you’re not yourself!”

The orange mare had to give a deadpan look to a statement like that. “We’ve been through this _twice_ , do Ah really need to spell it out to you that just ‘cause Ah’m a werewolf-“

“But are you still a pony, too!?” accused the younger sister, though she did lower her guard a bit, enough for Applejack to see the tears in her golden eyes.

“Is that what happened in that nightmare of yours?” calmly replied the older one, walking up slowly to the bed. “That Ah became somethin’ like…like Sable Loam or Fair Vista?”

“W-worse…it was like you were…well, it was your _body_ , but not your personality. Like that night when Sable howled to summon you or whatever…only, instead of simply runin’ off, you went wild and were no better than a timberwolf. The same with Lightnin’ Dust.”

“She was, uh, ‘not herself’ in this dream of yours, too?” asked Applejack, now concerned about this dream. While as far as she knew, her genetics had a defense against her mind going to the point she would end up like her unfortunate father and lose all sense of self. Lighting Dust, however, did not.

“It wasn’t just her, it was _the entire town_!” exclaimed Apple Bloom, having fully let her guard down now that she was sure Applejack wasn’t a mindless attack dog. “Everypony was a werewolf, only they were all under Fair Vista’s orderin’. Ah saw Ponyville in ruins, too…”

“And it was all in a dream, which is how it’s gonna _stay_ , you understand?” Applejack reached out to put a paw on Apple Bloom’s shoulders, but halfway through thought better of it and shifted back to regular pony form, before placing the more familiar hoof instead. “Nopony, ‘specially not Fair Vista, is gonna come in and destroy the town while turnin’ everypony into wolf slaves or whatever. The girls and Ah…we may not have the Elements of Harmony, but we don’t need ‘em. Twi’s a princess, for cryin’ out loud, and then we also have Raspberry Beryl, who certainly cares about Ponyville and everypony in it just as much as any of us do, you understand?”

“Y-yeah…thanks, Sis.”

“Now, you best better go back to sleep and try to dream of somethin’ less full of flea-bitten fantasies, you hear? Tomorrow’s Monday, so you’re goin’ back to school.”

“Can Ah eat mah homework?” joked Apple Bloom, flashing her werewolf teeth.

“No. You don’t need _that_ much fiber.”

“Aww…”

* * *

“I’m starting to have second thoughts about getting out of the death penalty,” complained Raspberry. She was probably going to kill something (in dark crystal effigy, of course, she didn’t want to actually take a life if she could help it) in the next few minutes.

“Aw, come on” teased Cadence, “at least you’ve got the royal hairdresser to style your mane. The last time I had mine done up for a special occasion, Rarity volunteered for the job.”

“And?”

“It was…not good, initially, I will admit.”

“No offense to Lady Rarity,” piped up the hairdresser; Frizzy Coif, “but the fact she managed to make the Traditional Crystal Empire Hairdress on her second try was pure luck. I remain of the opinion that some unruly pony was trying to undermine the chances of the Crystal Empire getting the Equestria Games by making me sick when I was needed most, and that your majesty should have held off seeing the representative until I was able to resume my station.”

“It won’t happen again, Friz,” apologized the alicorn.

“Speaking of resuming one’s station,” said Raspberry, changing the topic, “whatever happened to that thing you wanted to show me?”

“You mean Sombra’s personal records?”

“Princess Cadence!” interrupted Frizzy, her face clearly expressing shock, “You are not seriously sending in _another_ princess into that damnable hellhole, are you?”

“Wait, _another_ princess?” That had Raspberry concerned. Was there somepony like her, gifted with dark magic, that possibly-

“By ‘another’ I refer to Cadence herself.”

“Oh.” Raspberry sighed internally, of course she was the only one like her, nopony else was unfortunate enough to have had a similar troubled childhood.

“Raspberry is different, Frizzy,” explained Cadence. “Sombra’s little sanctuary inside the castle is of course protected by his dark magic, which so far nopony has been able to get any kind of understand of long enough to write it down before succumbing to the corruptive influence of the dark arts.”

“And you would willingly send in somepony of your own bloodline in there, to suffer as you have forced yourself to time and time again?”

“Is there something I wasn’t told?” asked Raspberry, not being happy about being out of the loop. A quick glance at Heliodor, who was being lovingly tended to by two crystal pegasi, had the bird shrug as his answer. He knew nothing of the matter, himself.

Coif sighed. “In the past, her majesty had a disturbing tendency to go against the advice of her most important advisors, including both myself and Prince Armor, by spending time inside that cursed chamber and subjecting herself to unimaginable pain.”

“Oh, yeah, that.” Raspberry shrugged slightly. “She already told me about that.”

Frizz was aghast. “Y-you think it’s not that serious a matter?! Every second she spent in there could have corrupted her a little bit more until she became the reincarnation of that foul beast Sombra!” She then wheeled onto Cadence, who was clearly trying not to laugh. “And why are you laughing? Do I amuse you by being worried about the health and welfare of my regent?”

“No, no! You’ve got it all wrong, Friz! Your have a very valid point, but it’s just that…that…” Cadence couldn’t stop herself from collapsing to the floor in laughter.

“Mrs. Coif…” began Raspberry, unamused at the time at the salon was taking even longer, “you know I’m the one that all the commotion up in Canterlot two days ago was about, right?”

“Uh…yes?” replied the stylist, not sure where the discussion was going.

“Do you know why I was on trial.”

“Well, of course, everypony knows that your trial was because you use dark mag-“ the pieces clicked in Coif’s head. “Oh.”

In response, Raspberry lightened up a little with a soft smile. “The fact I’m a princess, or soon-to-be at any rate, just means I am for all intents and purposes the only pony close enough to Sombra that I can get in that room safely.”

“Ah. So _that’s_ why her majesty is…behaving much unlike her station,” grumbled Coif, glancing over at the still laughing Cadence.

“If it makes any difference, Mrs. Coif, she’s not been corrupted or anything by the dark magic left in that study, I can tell that pretty easily. Which considering I haven’t even been near this alleged ‘damned hellhole’ is pretty indicative that Princess Cadence is fine.”

“Y-yes, like I said, I’m fine!” chortled Cadence, having finally regained balance on four legs. “But I’m sure it will be of interest to you, Razz, that I do intend to take you there once we’re done with all this prep for your coronation.”

“Finally!” exclaimed Raspberry happily, “something _not stationary to look forward to!_ ”

* * *

Back in Ponyville, school had just let out and the fillies and colts were back in town, mingling with the older ponies and generally being kids. Except for one. She’d rushed away from school as fast as possible, needing every last second to get her plan ready and for her to be in position.

_That’s it, Apple Bloom_ thought Diamond, watching from her vantage point on the roof adjacent from where the trap was primed. Nopony could see her, especially not those on the street, but there was enough of a crack in the rakes on the lip at the top where she could survey the ground below. _Come on, get closer, I’ve got a treat for you…_

As expected, she was with the other two loser ponies she had as friends, the useless unicorn and the pathetic pegasus. There was also her cousin; Babs Seed, who had once been cool but had changed sides and was now no better than the rest of them. But wait, there was a _fifth_ filly with them…no, it couldn’t be…

“Silver Spoon?” whispered Diamond to herself in disbelief. The two had gone their separate ways over the whole debacle on Nightmare Night, but Tiara knew deep down that Silver had enough self respect that she wouldn’t hang out with the Crusaders. But after rubbing her eyes, Diamond couldn’t deny that her former PFF now walked among her former enemies. How could she do that? How could she _viciously betray_ what had been between her and Tiara? The pink filly was furious, it was clear now that the argument on the schoolyard had been the work of Apple Bloom. “First she shows me up at school, then scares me half to death in the middle of the night at my own home, _then_ is allowed to go hang out in Canterlot with royalty, _and now_ successfully stole my best friend?!” Diamond was seething at this point. “I’m going to make her pay for running my life, right here, right now!”

Right as the CMC + traitor were near it, Diamond pulled the string. She’d carefully threaded it such that a system of pulleys ensured nopony would trigger it by accident yet she could be a safe distance away. Instantly a small, plastic red cup that would have been just a regular piece of discarded garbage was yanked by an unseen force into a crevice and out of sight. In it’s place…

* * *

“Oh, hey, look!” said Apple Bloom to her friends. “Somebody left a doggie biscuit lyin’ around!” She moved to approach it, but was immediately stopped by Silver who had stuck her foreleg out.

“Apple Bloom, don’t,” she warned.

“Why not? We ponies eat flowers and hay and other things right off the ground, why can’t Ah-“

“Wouldn’t you have noticed the biscuit before now? Take a closer look.”

“She’s right, Apple Bloom,” agreed Sweetie.

Apple Bloom did as she was told, finding that indeed there was more than met the eye. There was a super-thin fishing line wrapped around the body of the dog treat, the line barely visible in the noon-day sun. The string led from the biscuit through a wall just behind the treat, but for what purpose she knew not what. It was safe to assume Diamond Tiara was somehow involved, though.

“Best to let that sleeping dog lie,” suggested Scootaloo.

“Agreed.” Apple Bloom turned away from the biscuit, her friends in tow.

* * *

Diamond Tiara was agast. _Silver, what did you do?!_ thought the filly as she watched her former friend defeat all her hard work. No doubt that she was brainwashed or something, since she was actively _helping_ the freak now, and after all the trouble Apple Bloom had put her through, too!

While Diamond was trying to make sense of the situation, she failed to notice Apple Bloom saying hi to her sister Applejack, who was coming down the opposite way with Lightning Dust. Only when she heard Dust mention something about a biscuit did she realize her trap was about to spring on the wrong targets. It would catch an Apple, alright, but _not_ the one who was currently a werewolf. She wanted to say something to stop the inevitable, but when she finally worked up the nerve to say something it was too late. Lightning Dust had pulled the biscuit, only realizing just then it was merely bait.

The wall through which the fishing line was threaded opened up like a trap door, causing an avalanche of _dogs_ to spill onto the hapless werewolves. Needless to say both of them were having uncomfortable flashbacks to when they’d been chased all over a town during _that_ time of the month, but fortunately they weren’t expecting it anytime soon so they were in the clear for now. Still didn’t make it any less traumatizing to have been somehow ambushed by dogs randomly.

But for Diamond, her problems were only just beginning as she barely had run away five feet before Lightning Dust shot out from the dogpile and into the sky, looking rapidly every which way for a possible perpetrator. Diamond’s pink coat betrayed her as she had no need to be on the very roof that _happened_ to be overlooking the incident site.

When Applejack managed to dig her way out of the pile, she looked up to find Lightning hovering above and holding a very uncooperative Diamond Tiara.

“Oh you have _got_ to be kiddin’…” complained Applejack.

“Yeah, can’t wait to tell Mr. Rich about _this_ one,” agreed Lightning Dust. “I guess somepony decided they needed to get in more trouble.”

Off a slight way, the Crusaders bore witness to the trap being sprung on the wrong pony and the revelation of the culprit.

“Now how did Tiara manage _that_?” wondered aloud Sweetie.

“Certainly not going around at night to kidnap them, like what we did with the cats,” said Silver.

“So that _was_ you!” accused Apple Bloom, though Silver’s humble expression took the bite out of it.

“Yeah, but that was also before, back when I had been convinced by Tiara and that ghost that you were a real threat to this town, not the other way around.”

Scoot smiled. “So, you’re fully with us, now?”

“Not as a Crusader, I can’t be since I have this,” Silver rocked her flanks a bit, highlighting the mark of desinty upon them. “But after everything, you girls have been the nicest of anypony to me after what happened on Nightmare Night. On top of that, I don’t think I can ever repay Apple Bloom for saving my life after the water tower burst, so…yeah, I’m fully with you.”

One by one the Crusaders traded knowing looks, their expressions implying a scheme forming in their heads.

  


“Silver, come with us,” said Babs, taking her gray counterpart’s foreleg in hers, “I think it’s time we addressed something.”

* * *

“For a door that holds what my ancestor intended to be mine,” said Raspberry, “I was admittedly expecting…something less mundane.”

“Yeah,” agreed Cadence, “it is sort of disappointing.”

“Of course, you could say that about Sombra himself, too, considering how short his ‘resurrection’ was.”

Both ponies laughed at the joke. They stood in front of a regular wooden door, which aside from being located far off from the main thoroughfares of the castle interior, was literally just nothing special. No obscene images or cult like runes carved into its surface, no leaking auras of evil coming from it. All there was in the doorframe was several planks of wood held together with more wood crossbeams and a few nails.

“The funny thing is that this door is actually extremely valuable along with being sacrilegious.” Explained Cadence. “These timbers were grown from seedlings whose seeds came from the Tree of Harmony.”

“The tree of what now?” questioned Raspberry, both she and Heliodor raising eyebrows at the unfamiliar name.

Cadence laughed softly. “The Tree of Harmony. Real original name, I know. But, more importantly, its wood only grows in special places. Most ponies don’t even know of the main tree, which the Elements both came from and were returned to, but to use any lumber from anything that comes from that tree…risks destroying the fragile balance of harmony the tree provides.”

“So, basically this door is really a ‘buck you’ to everything Princess Celestia talks about?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Raspberry merely nodded, then took a deep breath. “Alright, Helee, you ready?”

The loyal phoenix nodded, puffing out his chest in a sign of bravery.

“At least one of us is. Well, no sense in sticking around here.” Without letting herself have the chance to think about it, Raspberry opened the door with her magic and walked into the cursed room. She was immediately beset by a magic force, definitely dark in its nature, but at the same time she could feel it…approve of her presence. Slightly less so for Heliodor, probably only letting him in because he was her pet. But, the magic went away, leaving pony and bird unharmed inside a chamber filled with old tomes. There was no dust or signs of age, as to be expected in a room protected by powerful magic spells. Many places had gaps where books should have been, as before the room had turned super-hostile the mages of the Royal Guard wasted no time in removing all the dangerous materials they could identify. But they’d only been able to remove a small fraction, for much of the library appeared untouched.

“You’re not spasming, either of you, so that’s…good?” hopefully called out Cadence, who obviously was still outside the room.

“Yeah, as we thought I’m fine in here,” answered back Razz. Her attention was quickly taken to a book that had been left out; _How I Did It, by King Reginald Sombra_. “Hello, what’s this…”

Cadence, who could easily see what Raspberry was doing, tried to be a helpful as possible. “I think that’s the book Sandalwood and Lyra consulted back when they were here. The pages might be folded on the relevant sections!”

Indeed they were, as Razz noted. While Heliodor had flown off to do some exploring, Raspberry quickly opened the book to the dog-eared pages. The contents she found were…disturbing, to say the least, but at the same time Raspberry could glean information from the runes and symbols in the book among the normally legible writing, icons that made no sense unless one understood dark magic. Maybe not even then unless they were truly gifted at the dark arts like Sombra and herself.

But most importantly of all, she understood them on a level that, if given time, she might be able to come up with a counterspell. A legit cure for lycanthropy. She smiled, knowing she could undo the damage she’d done to Applejack, save Apple Bloom and Lighting Dust as well, then if given the chance finally destroy Fair Vista by removing whatever power she’d gotten tied to in order to resurrect her ghost.

_It’s ironic_ she thought, _that the light of hope comes from a room shrouded in the darkest of evil_.

* * *

Silver desperately did her best to maintain balance as her entire world was rocked by a musical earthquake.

“Scoot!” chided Apple Bloom.

“Oh, right, sorry,” blushed Scootaloo, who had been repeatedly told to not make the treehouse rumble whenever she played the initiation drums.

“Don’t worry,” said Babs to Silver, “she did that when they accepted me into the CMC, too.”

“Great…” replied Silver, cringing.

“Ahem!” interrupted Sweetie Belle. “If I may…We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, elect Silver Spoon to join us as a sister, friend, confidante, alley, boss-om buddy, gal pal, compadre, chum of chums...wait a sec, this is the old version of the initiation speech!”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “I told you, the new one is in the drawer in the podium.”

“Ah, yes, of course.” Sweetie blushed in embarrassment slightly as she tossed the rather lengthy sheet of parchment away in favor a significantly smaller one. “Starting over, shall we? Okay…We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, elect Silver Spoon to join us in our group and our journey to discover our cutie marks.”

“Um…” Silver rocked side to side on her legs in uneasiness, since for some reason it seemed the Crusaders kept forgetting she _did_ have a cutie mark.

“However,” continued Sweetie, oblivious to Silver’s discomfort, “due to her having attained her cutie mark, we bring her into our group in the special role of ‘Cutie Mark Consultant’ such that she may help us on our own discoveries.”

_Consultant, huh?_ thought Silver, _I could get used to that title…_

“And so, it is with that special consideration that we swear her in as a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

“Congratulations!” said Apple Bloom, throwing a fabric bundle into the air. The bundle unfurled at the apex of its path, releasing confetti into the air. But, as it fell onto Silver, who took the cloth off to examine it closely, she saw it was an exact copy of the capes the other four Crusaders were wearing, the blue patch and all. She looked up at her newfound friends, wide eyed and a blush coming to her face, wondering how she could have overlooked the ponies who were true friends when she was so desperately clinging to the false one with Diamond Tiara.

“So, how does it feel to be a true blue Crusader?” asked Babs, who had once been against the Crusaders with Silver a long time ago.

“It…it feels good,” replied Silver. “It feels…right.”

* * *

Diamond Tiara sat in a huff. Her latest plan had been possibly the greatest unqualified disaster yet, even more so than Nightmare Night. There at least, she’d had the benefit of the most important ponies in town trying to cover up the truth, but now she’d outright embarrassed them in public when Silver had betrayed her yet again.

To make matters even more worse still, she didn’t have another chance coming to expose Apple Bloom now. What with having been grounded until further notice and her rights to demanding anything in her father’s stores curtailed as well, she had no resources and no ability to try again.

And then to top it all off, the power went out suddenly. It was almost midnight, so without power the room was pitch black. Not even a nightlight to help provide a path should a late night bathroom trip be necessary.

**“AAAARRGGHHHH!”** shouted Tiara, furious at this latest problem. “What good are electric bills if they don’t keep the power going?!”

“Power is a luxury, one I’ve never really needed, myself,” came an all too familiar voice from where the door was. Somehow, Fair Vista had returned, managing to open and close the door without a single sound.

“Oh, great, it’s _you_ ,” groaned Tiara. “What do _you_ want?”

“I saw your latest little escapade in the town today. From a distance, of course.” Vista sauntered closer, to which Tiara noted was with much more presence in her step than before. In fact, _everything_ she did was with more presence than before. “Ah, yes, by the way, I figured out how to stop being dead. Quite novel, really _.”_

_“You what_?!” Tiara was shocked. How does one manage to become undead without the usual connotations?

“I’ll have to tell you later, but right now we have more problematic matters to discuss.”

“You mean like your failure?” Tiara immediately reeled back when Vista clamped her all-too-real jaws at her.

“I did not _fail_ because of a lack of skill,” snarled Vista, “I handled matters to the best of my ability. However, you were incorrect about that gem seller.”

“The one on trial?” Diamond was skeptical about that. “What does she have to do with this? Sure, she was on charges of dark magic use, but that was because she-“

“Where do you _think_ she went after the thing with the dragon? Oh yes, I learned about what happened, the entire damn country knows about it. One doesn’t nearly accidentally kill the adopted brother of Twilight Sparkle without national coverage. But she somehow knew to come to the castle ruins and tricked me multiple times, enough to save that little twerp.”

“How?”

Vista facepawed. “Dark magic, you dolt! Somehow, her magic was able to harm me even though I was ethereal. I had to run, lest she manage to kill me a second time and I have too much to do before I leave this plane of existence again.”

“Okay, that makes more sense, I guess, but it still doesn’t explain how-“

“Again, I’ll tell you later. But right now we’re on the clock. It’s lucky that Raspberry Beryl is forced to be in the Crystal Empire for a little while due to her need to be recognized as a princess of the realm or something. It gives us time to deal with the werewolf problems before she returns for good.”

“Wait, problem _s?_ As in plural?”

“Yes, there are other werewolves in this town ,too _.”_

_“WHAT?!”_ Tiara was shocked. More werewolves was not a good thing, especially since Vista wouldn’t have a reason to lie about that.

“Indeed, something needs to be done. But I’ll need your help.”

“Bah, not much I can do for you. I’m grounded and I can’t get any resources for you to use, Silver’s betrayed us by going over to the Crusaders, and most of the town thinks I’m crazy now. Do _you_ think I’m crazy?”

“Me? Oh, no, you’re not crazy at all! Frankly, you’re the only one who understands what needs to be done. But while you can’t provide the material help that I need, there is another way you can help.”

Tiara’s eyes glinted as she dared to don a small, evil smile. “Do tell.”


	54. Book2 Ch.29 Cracks in the Foundation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scroll Translation at the end.

Rise of the Furball Chapter 29; “Cracks in the Foundation”

Raspberry Beryl was, unsurprisingly, nervous. It seemed to be one of her default states these days, though after the roller coaster that had been her life within the past week or two she couldn’t be blamed for it. But this time, simply trying to divert attention from herself such that she could fade back into obscurity was no longer an option. After all, no matter how hard she tried to live a normal life, everypony would know of her station. She was the last of an old royal bloodline, one close enough to the original royal lineage that she had a claim to the title of Princess more than anypony of royal blood but not graced with both wings and horn.

Instead, she was the bearer of the strongest dark magic in the country, maybe even the world, because of how depraved her ancestor had been, and having been handicapped by her father such that her heritage was the only way she could use magic at all, she knew there were ponies who would never trust her and would protest the fact she was joining a group as hallowed as the Equestriani princesses, and the only one without the ability to fly.

“Razz, my dear, are you quite alright?” came the voice of Rarity, soon followed by the alabaster unicorn appearing at the side of the princess-to-be. The day before, the remaining elements from Ponyville were brought to the Crystal Empire due to their importance in both the affairs of Princess Twilight Sparkle and the role they had played in stopping Sombra’s brief return.

“Other than trying to understand why any of this is happening, I’m just perfect!”

Rarity shook her head, “Honestly, Raspberry, you’re living the dream every little filly wants to achieve, that every pony can be a princess. It’s going to look weird with you giving that speech while shaking as if you’re freezing. Plus, Twilight wasn’t too keen on the idea either, but she’s taken to being a princess like a duck to water.”

“Twilight also _earned_ her princesshood,” reminded Raspberry. “I’ve done nothing like her to deserve being known as one of that title, not to mention the reasons why I am going to be getting it anyway are far from being of personal achievement.”

“While true, I would like to point out that purely on the basis of who you are, you deserve being a part of royalty far more than some bore like Prince Blueblood who is always claiming to be the thirty-something-times removed nephew of Celestia. You’ve saved lives and in respect to your power it’s enough to trump even the combined might of _four_ alicorns simultaneously.”

“But that just means I’m being made a princess on the grounds of ‘might makes right’, doesn’t it?”

“Sort of, I’ll give you that, but it also will make ponies listen to you as who would dare disrespect a princess? So much trouble could have been avoided if you had been able to speak your piece, now as a princess you’ll be able to, and ponies who still doubt you are a good pony will see their perceptions of you are wrong, dark magic or no. Not to mention, you have a _phoenix_ for a pet, of such rarity – no pun intended, of course – that even Celestia cannot claim to have.”

Heliodor, who had been silently observing and having ended up staring off into space, suddenly twitched to life at the indirect reference to his person.

“I…I guess you’re right, Rarity,” said Rasbperry. “Maybe I just need to stop looking at things like a half-empty cup.”

“Oh, don’t be silly, dear, the cup’s not half-empty any more.” Rarity them motioned for Raspberry to follow her out of the room, Heliodor promptly following by perching on his usual place on Razz’s horn. “It’s half full, with the amount of good fortune filling it only going to increase for you from here on out. Now come, the others are waiting for you to accept your title, your highness.”

* * *

As the sun shone down upon the gathered ponies, the long lost Crystal Imperial line of royalty saw itself be restored to its rightful place as a recognized branch of Equestriani high blood. While the means of how this had come to be were regrettable, Celestia was pleased to see the crystal ponies, whose memories still held the terrors of being under Sombra’s hoof, be generally quite open to the idea of recognizing another dark magic using royal to be of a station where they would be ruled by that individual. Of course, the confidence extruded by the alicorns and the elements who were present in regards to Raspberry probably helped, as did the eagerness with which the phoenix-brandishing unicorn presented herself with towards ponies who had suffered under her predecessor.

Celestia had to smile at that. Even though Sombra had been powerful, one of his greatest shortcomings was a total lack of charisma. The sun princess herself wouldn’t admit it, but even she had once been nervous to speak in front of the citizens of her country. Granted, Queen Faust had been there to give a guiding hoof to both her daughters in public oratory experience, invaluable when the elder alicorn was forced to abdicate to her teenage daughters.

_But why did mom hide the truth from us about what she readily let Discord know_? Wondered the matriarch, the only visual cue externally to her troubled mindset being her silent smile faltering a micron lower than usual for a split second. While she wondered her mother’s intentional omission of this fact, the most haunting words of the scroll held by Discord echoed in Celestia’s head:

_Bhtugunl rgunl nyfrsnl bjapenl vfjnl rivyjnl bfgznl batfgenl_

_Vfunl rtnplynl vyyjnl riraghnyyljnl haqbjnl vfunl batjenl_

_Nfjnl lfgnypenl bbqoynl vyyjnl vaqsnl bynprfnl vajnl nqrwnl versnl_

_Naqjnl rycunl rgunl vkfnl riragcenl njnl rfheerpgvbaenl bfgznl verqnl_

_Rajunl rgunl nfgynl ryrzragjnl vaqfsnl vajnl njnl bjagnl bfgznl nvagdhnl_

_Njnl bnysnl beaonl bsjnl hercnl nexarffqnl, hgonl rrsenl bzsenl vfunl nvaggnl_

_Nyyjnl vfjnl bfgynl vsjnl lfgnypenl bhyqfunl bfrynl vgfjnl vtugsnl_

_Besnl rgunl ngucnl bsjnl rfgvalqnl vqrfunl vgfrysjnl bzsenl vtugfnl_

_Hgonl vsjnl rgunl rpraqnagfqnl bsjnl rgunl vzvynefnl rivyjnl rznvaenl vajnl vtugynl_

_Rlgunl napnl bcfgnl rgunl rgheaenl bsjnl rgunl reebefgnl bsjnl vtuganl_

_Naqjnl raqjnl Bzoenfnl’fnl hefrpnl bgnl rgfnl rirelguvatjnl vtugenl_

_Hgonl bgnl bcfgnl vtabenaprjnl bzsenl rycvatunl vagragvbafjnl bfgznl rnaznl_

_Vgjnl vfjnl nbfpunl bjunl hfgznl rrxfnl rgunl bbqoynl bsjnl rratenl._

Discord had said his role in the prophecy had already been filled, though it left his role in the lead up to Raspberry’s trial more questionable than ever. Celestia cared not to dwell on that any more, it was the past, with the future lying in jeopardy. Raspberry, for as much trouble she’d endured for being just who she was, was going to be tested as hard as Twilight had been back when the Crystal Empire had returned from its thousand-year absence. Except then, Twilight had only succeeded because she had strong friendships to fall back on, especially that of Spike, that had been instrumental to stalling Sombra long enough to defeat him. But Raspberry was only just starting to develop her deep friendship with those same ponies and while her magic was as strong as Twilight’s, this was an entirely new situation that Celestia had not dealt with. After all, as far as Celestia knew, one of the few legends that she had not had to personally handle involved the living dead in any fashion, so what she could possibly be walking right into couldn’t even be classified as something Celestia could handle as had been the case with Sombra.

_And yet, if she truly is of Sombra’s blood,_ thought Celestia, _hopefully she inherited the few good qualities that beast once had_. King Sombra may have been an evil bastard, but on the grounds of ruling qualities, his determination to overcome all challenges and sheer force of will to achieve the impossible would have made him a great ruler. Had he not gone crazy with crystals and stuff, of course. _So here’s hoping Razz will succeed where Sombra failed to live up to his own potential_.

* * *

“They liked me…they really, really liked me!” gushed Raspberry, overcome with happiness as the cheers of the Crystal Ponies still rung in her ears. Heliodor, mirroring the joy of his lifelong companion, was cawing happily and taking advantage of the high vaulted ceilings within the Crystal Castle to soar high and let out bursts of harmless emerald fire as he pleased.

“Well, why wouldn’t they? “ asked Applejack. “Ah’d say they’d got every right to be happy you’re on the side of friendship and harmony and…whatever else it is you said.”

“Yeah, I gotta say it was awesome and all, but it kinda got cheesy with the middle bit,” added Rainbow, hovering in the air as usual.

“Give her a break, everypony,” chided Twilight good-naturedly. “Even after everything, it’s still something to go out there and speak to that many ponies in accepting the title of princess.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I could ever speak in front of that many ponies, at least not without you guys right with me,” confessed Fluttershy to the surprise of absolutely nopony.

The camaraderie was instantly ended when the doors to the hall were violently thrown open, with Shining rushing in while flanked by a pair of guardsponies on either side.

“Ladies, we have a situation,” said the prince, having entered serious soldier mode.

“W-why? What happened?” asked Rarity. “Did something occur in Ponyville?”

“Yes. The local guard garrison just reported that one of the fillies the Crown had them keep an eye on: a miss Diamond Tiara, has just been listed as missing only a few hours ago by her parents. Considering what she knows about this whole werewolf debacle, I don’t doubt our mutual friend Fair Vista has something to do with all this.”

* * *

“What foul _bastard_ would take such an innocent child like my Diamond?!” wailed Champagne Dreams, her face buried into the crook of Filthy Rich’s neck. “I can’t even fathom why anypony would even want to hurt my baby!”

The Royal Guard interviewing the parents of Diamond Tiara stopped scribbling and looked at the pair with a raised eyebrow, though when Mr. Rich gave back a look of ‘please ignore my wife, I know damn well why somepony would want to take my daughter’ the unicorn just went back to scribbling.

“Often, the ones who committed these kind of crimes are individuals who are personal friends with the victim and/or their families. Is there anybody the Rich family knows personally that has also dropped off the radar?”

Mr. Rich just shook his head. “No. The only pony my daughter really talked to, Silver Spoon, recently broke off their friendship due to some kind of conflicting interests, and she was grounded after continuing to pursue some foolhardy crusade to prove some other filly she doesn’t like that much was a werewolf.”

The guard raised an eyebrow again in skepticism. “I’m sorry, did you just say ‘werewolf’?”

“Yeah, I know, it’s dumb as Tartarus, but my daughter is ten years old. I do regret letting her have as much command over resources as she did, probably should have done that anyway to be a better parent, yet I’m sure my daughter’s disappearance has nothing to do with those blasted wolf-ponies of legend.”

Just then, the sound of the mansion’s main doors opening was heard. Mr. Rich didn’t know it, but two of those ‘blasted wolf-ponies’ had just walked in the door along with two princesses and their entourage.

“We came as soon as we heard!” said Twilight, immediately establishing her presence as princess, pausing only briefly to allow all the guards in the mansion to bow in respect.

“P-princess Twilight!” sputtered Champagne, “this is an unexpected honor - we usually thought that such minor issues weren't under the aegis of our princess.”

“While I don’t like to say any pony’s life being considered beneath my concern, your daughter is somepony of relative importance to current affairs.”

“ _Current_ affairs?” asked Mr. Rich, “This doesn’t have anything to do with that giant, ill-meaning prank my daughter tried to pull back on Nightmare Night, does it?”

“It may, I’m afraid. We didn’t mention it at the time, but we have come to believe that Diamond Tiara may have been working with somepony who desires to see the Apple Family harmed in…unusual ways.”

“Are you suggesting my daughter was kidnapped by some felon she may or may not have-“ angrily accused Champagne, before noticing two of the ponies who had come in with the princesses were acting strangely. Applejack and some light cerulean pegasus with a two-tone orange mane were…sniffing? “What are you two doing?”

“Yeah, it’s like you both have a _cold_ or something,” intoned Rainbow, trying to subtly inform the two werewolves their condition was starting to show in their behavior.

“What, you guys don’t smell that?” asked Lightning, oblivious to whatever Rainbow had been trying to say. “Granted, it’s faint, but you don’t need to be a dog or something to know the scent of mud.”

“Especially if there’s somethin’ _else_ in that mud that wasn’t exactly _mud_ ,” added Applejack. Almost immediately, everypony in the room became aware of the very out-of-place smell of the wilds within the almost immaculately clean room.

“Ms. Dreams, when was the last time the maids cleaned the house?” asked Rarity, trying not to gag.

“Last night, before the occupants of our mansion were bedded for the evening. Richie insisted that the servants not carry out their duties after the discovery of our daughter having been whisked away during the night. Though I think you’d best leave the crime scene investigation to the experts.”

“Like me?” smirked Raspberry, her horn suddenly lighting up in her dark aura…with Heliodor still on it. Seeing the bird nonchalantly stand on a pyre set ablaze with a magic normally associated with agony and torture caused all ponies not familiar with the true nature of Raspberry’s magic to reel back.

“Wh-what are you doing to that poor bird?!” shrieked Champagne, the ghastliness overcoming the mare and thus making her fall dramatically into the forelegs of Mr. Rich.

“Showoff,” nickered Rarity.

Mr. Rich didn’t notice the comment by the gray unicorn, instead looking apologetically at Raspberry. “You aren’t _really_ hurting that bird…are you?”

“Who, Heele?” asked Raspberry, glancing up at her pet, then laughed softly. “Nah, he’s been doing that for years.” Her tone suddenly turned much more serious. “However, in addition to the…’outside elements’ we’ve just become aware about, if what I suspect is true then there may be some other unsavory things left behind from our suspect.”

Filthy Rich turned pale, losing strength and his not-exactly-unconscious wife suddenly found herself plummeting a short distance to the ground. He didn’t notice, his mind elsewhere as he wondered just _what_ his daughter had been up to. “Don’t tell me Tiara got mixed up with one of those dark magic using anarchist scum-“ He was cut off by the majority of the ponies suddenly giving him death glares, Raspberry and more frightening Heliodor included, factors that he considered as he tugged on his shirt collar and corrected himself. “I, uh, mean those dark magic users who are totally unlike you, Miss Beryl! Heh heh…”

Raspberry just rolled her eyes before giving Twilight a nod. The purple alicorn acknowledged, her attention in turn being put towards the guard who up to that point had been irrelevant in the ongoing discussion. “Corporal, the matter that I fear needs to be discussed with Mr. Rich and his wife is of a private and highly confidential nature, so if you don’t mind…”

“Of course, your highness.” replied the guard, before promptly leaving through the door. At the same time, Raspberry had motioned to Applejack and Dust, who were now following behind the bird-wearing unicorn though they knew not why. They soon got their answer, though.

“That’s impossible!” whispered Applejack to the other two ponies, out of earshot of the rest of the group, who had proceeded to inform Mr. Rich about the real events of the past Nightmare Night.

“What’s impossible?” subsequently asked Spike out of nowhere.

“Whoa, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be over with Twilight?” asked Lightning, having forgotten Spike had come in with the group.

“Got bored, so I came over here to help you guys. Even though I don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Finding pieces of the Everfree, that’s what,” answered Raspberry, levitating up a leaf that was half-coated in mud yet hidden behind an end table. “Especially ones with traces of dark magic, which doesn’t bode well.”

“Now how in tarnation could Fair Vista tread this kinda stuff in here? She’s a ghost!” reasoned Applejack.

“Unless she somehow found a way to _un_ die.” Raspberry’s features hardened as she knew what needed to be done. She turned to towards Twilight, finding the alicorn looking somewhat awkward at having just told Filthy Rich his daughter had basically been talking with ghost werewolves. “Twi, as bad as this situation is, we’re going to need to resort to your specialty.”

“Um, you sure?” sheepishly replied Twilight, remembering the last time she tried tampering with dark magic and werewolves at the same time.

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s not your magic you’ll need. It’s your love of books.”

* * *

“So you’re sure you don’t know what the deal is with how Diamond Tiara is missin’?” asked Apple Bloom for what had to have been the hundredth time.

“No, I _don’t_ , and please stop asking!” replied Sandalwood, none too happy to be back in the position she was in. While it _was_ nice to have paid leave from the spa for a little while, courtesy of royal intervention on part of Twilight Sparkle, Sandy would have vastly preferred regular work as opposed to having to be brought into the secret that werewolves _still existed_.

_Wait, no, I think it might be the part where Applejack then revealed she was still a werewolf,_ thought Sandalwood. Now here she was, laying on her back and tuning up the Apple Truck, under royal orders, getting it tuned up so it could be used in the event more werewolf hunting was needed. _Figures Lyra got to stay back at the flat and work on the car, though she did admittedly build most of it before she brought me on to the project._

“But are you sure this thing can outrun a werewolf? I mean, it probably won’t outrun Apple Bloom.” Said Silver, worryingly.

_Oh, yeah and_ that _fun little bit, too_ mentally facehoofed Sandalwood, _like the last thing I needed was to find out Applejack’s_ sister _was a werewolf, too!_ At the rate things were going, soon spa customers would only be able to get aromatherapy treatments on Nightmare Night, with their host; werewolf Sandalwood! _I’d never be able to live it down_.

“Also, what’s with the Twilight standee in the truck bed?” added Silver, finally noticing Cardlight Sparkle.

“Nopony knows, really,” said Sweetie. “It apparently just showed up in the back one day.”

“It’s also rather useless, since Twilight got wings and is slightly bigger, too,” added Scootaloo.

“So? You got wings, too, don’t mean you can fly,” commented Silver, though the sudden feeling of the larger Babs Seed bearing down on her through sheer presence brought her back into reality. “Oh, please, I’m sorry! After hanging around Diamond for so long it sort of became habit to make comments like those, I’ve been trying to break it, really.”

“Nah, it’s cool,” said Scootaloo, shrugging. “Besides, I can at least do this.” The orange pegasus proceeded to jump into the air and, with great strain, maintain a height of five feet off the ground for a few seconds by working her wings extra hard.

“Hey, that’s better than the last time, ain’t it?” said Babs.

“Yeah, if I keep it up I might even be able to last a whole minute!” beamed Scootaloo, before she turned to Sandalwood. “Hey, DJ, you know when Applejack’s coming back?”

Sandalwood pulled herself out from under the truck, confusion etched on her face. “DJ? Who the heck is DJ?”

Scoot laughed. “Oh, sorry, don’t know what I was thinking, for some reason you struck me as a ‘DJ’.”

“Do I _look_ like Vinyl Scratch?”

“Well, you do have the mane for it,” snickered Sweetie. Sandalwood glanced up to see her mane somehow sticking up like the famous DJ P0N3 ‘do.

“Yeah, well, I’m still not letting you help so you can get your ‘car repair cutie marks’ if that’s why your four are still hanging around.”

“Why not?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Technically, when you _built_ this thing originally, it kinda ended up setting off the events that led to you being a werewolf, didn’t it?”

“Mah sister did _not_ turn me into a werewolf!” growled Apple Bloom, her fangs growing slightly. “At least…it might have been from her indirectly, we’re still not sure, but she didn’t willingly turn me if that’s what you’re sayin!”

“Uh, Cuz?” interjected Babs, placing a hoof on her cousin’s shoulder to calm her down, “I think she means more of the ‘this thing ended up crashin’ into the Everfree’ kind of deal, y’know?”

“Oh, right. Sorry,” apologized Apple Bloom, teeth returning to normal.

Sandalwood just shook her head, both in response to the simple mindedness of the filly and also to get her mane back to usual. “All things considered, this truck is good to go, I just hope it can help with what’s going on.”

“So do I.” said Raspberry Beryl, who had appeared – noticeably _without_ Heliodor – at the opening of the barn.

“Hey, where’s your bird?” asked Sweetie, remembering the first thing she’d noticed about the dark unicorn way back when.

“Heliodor’s off doing his ‘business’ if you know what I mean. He’s considerate that way, he won’t…you know, on other ponies or their property unless he really, really dislikes them.”

“I heard what went down at Canterlot, so I’m guessing Blueblood would be one of those ponies?” joked Sandalwood.

“Nah, Blueblood is reserved for _me_ if he ever crosses my path again,” answered Razz, adding a purposefully fake evil cackle.

“You kinda sounded like Diamond Tiara, there, no offense,” commented Silver, before realizing Raspberry shouldn’t even have been there. “Wait, I thought you and Princess Twilight were supposed to be doing studying on stuff at Golden Oaks?”

“We’re technically on break. Well, I am, at least. Twilight had ‘flying lessons’ with Rainbow Dash scheduled, and you know how she is about her schedules.”

“And _don’t_ we!” simultaneously said the fillies and Sandalwood all in unison.

Raspberry just smirked. “Looks like I’m going to have a very interesting time, living in Ponyville. But I better explain why I’m here.”

“Let me guess,” interrupted Sandalwood, “you want a ride in the truck.”

“If that’s okay,” bashfully confessed Raspberry with a slight blush.

Sandalwood just rolled her eyes. “Alright, hop in. And yes, you Crusaders can hang out in the truck bed with Cardlight, just don’t fall out.”

* * *

Twilight would normally have been learning the first stages of advanced flight styles under Rainbow’s wing. That was the original plan for today. Instead, she was getting to learn how to be an emergency weather pony.

“Are you sure this is okay?” hollered Twilight, struggling to keep up with her rainbow hued friend.

“We’ll be fine as long as we don’t get any closer from here!” replied Rainbow. The lack of brashness in her voice worried Twilight. Normally, it would have been near impossible to get Rainbow to resist the temptation to fly through a thundercloud. But this…Rainbow was in super serious mode, she was _not_ confident that this was a safe thunderstorm that was forming above the Everfree.

Several Ponyville weather pegasi were already on the scene, maintaining their distance. Twilight easily recognized several of them as having been Wonderbolt Candidates back when Rainbow had been accepted there.

“Boss!” called out one pony who was easily identified as Cloudchaser, “this thing isn’t natural!”

“Well of course it isn’t, it’s an Everfree storm!”

“No, this one…it’s different!” added Thunderlane. “We can normally manipulate Everfree storms, it doesn’t stop ‘em but like that last one we can break it up to reduce the force on the town.”

“So what’s different about this one?”

“Whatever is causing this…it’s _not_ the Everfree! Or a pegasus! The stormclouds are being held together with something other than water moisture! Even Bulk Biceps can’t break the clouds!” The three pegasus ponies and alicorn turned to see a muscular white pegasus with Scootaloo-size wings delivering an absolute flurry of punches and kicks to a small cloud bank that formed part of the slowly growing thunderhead. The cloud bank absorbed it all like a sponge. Thunderlane then turned back to Rainbow. “From what we can see, it’s like a hurricane is building up, though we don’t know over what as all visibility to the ground from up here is cut off. It’s probably going to hit Ponyville in a few days, tops.”

Rainbow then turned to Twilight, worry in her eyes. “Twi…do you think this might have anything to do with…you know who?” she whispered, not wanting the other weatherponies to know about matters that would lead to RD revealing she had a werewolf for a flatmate, _especially_ the one the majority of the local weatherponies would just love to tear the head off of. “We may need Raspberry’s expertise, since if pegasus ponies like me and the others can’t do squat against clouds like these, we’re going to need some powerful magic that bends the rules of nature.”

“I’ll have to see what she knows.” Replied Twi. “I’m honestly at a loss to explain this, only that I have a need to study it further.”

“Never change, Twilight Sparkle,” chuckled Rainbow, happy to have something to laugh at while patting her friend on the back, “never change.”

* * *

The night was still for Silver Spoon. It wasn’t thundering outside, thankfully, but she could feel it in the tips of her fur; a storm was coming.

“Diamond…what have you gotten yourself into?” asked Silver into the nothingness outside her bedroom window, hoping her former friend could somehow hear. “I know you weren’t kidnapped, but if you’ve decided to be driven hard enough to go with Fair Vista simply for petty revenge on a prank…it’s madness.”

“Nah, it’s not madness, I’ll tell you that much” suddenly came the voice of Diamond Tiara. Silver swore her heart leapt high enough to launch her whole body five feet into the air before coming back down to land on the bed. In the dim light, all Silver could see was a shadowy outline, but there was no mistaking that headpiece.

“Diamond, what the hell have you been up to?!” demanded Silver, not afraid of using “big pony” words and getting in trouble for it. This was serious.

“Preparations, my dear Silver,” cooly replied Tiara, her form getting closer to the bed.

“Pr-preparations for what, exactly?” Silver was growing concerned. Tiara was obviously keeping herself out of any kind of light for a reason, along with somehow broken into the Silver Mansion without the private bodyguards noticing a thing. Slowly backing up on her bed, she felt her foreleg go a bit wide to the right and make contact with her half of the silver “PFF” bracelet. Subtly, she rolled it into the palm of her hoof and behind her back. She was of the Silver lineage, she was a descendant of those brave ponies who sought to rid the world of monsters like werewolves, and if she was gonna go down because of werewolves then she damn well was going to take one or two down with her.

“Oh, I was hoping to keep it a surprise.” Now Diamond’s tone started to get a little whimsical, as if she was drunk…or delusional…or under somepony else’s control.

“Y-you’re not Diamond Tiara, are you!?” screamed Silver, her response forced as she found herself backed into a corner.

“Don’t be silly, Silver! Of course I’m still Diamond Tiara…” a pink foreleg reached out to turn the bedside lamp on, only there was no hoof on the switch when the light came on. “…I’m just learning to understand my enemy better.”

**Author's Note:**

4/30/16 - figured it was time to just put the scroll translation here.

Though the false crown is evil most strong  
His legacy will eventually undo his wrong  
As crystal blood will find solace in jade fire  
And help the six prevent a resurrection most dire  
When the last element finds in a town most quaint  
A foal born of darkness with the soul of a saint  
All is lost if crystal should lose its fight  
For the path of destiny hides itself from sight  
But if the decendants of the similar evil remain in light   
They can stop the return of the terrors of night  
And end Sombra’s curse to set everything right  
But to stop indulgence from helping intentions most mean  
It is chaos who must seek the blood of green.


	55. Book2 Ch.30 Saftey in Numbers

Rise of the Furball Chapter 30: “Safety in Numbers”

The mad ringing of bells woke Raspberry up from her slumber. Embarrassingly, she found that for once she’d actually been _drooling_ if the soaked part of her pillow just below her mouth was any indication. _Best not let Cashmere know about that,_ thought the unicorn while re-arranging the pillows so the stain could evaporate away while out of sight. More importantly, Raspberry had to wonder why she was even drooling in the first place, even as a newborn she knew that drooling tended not to be something she did in her sleep.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” came the groggy yell from Ascot, the recognition of his voice snapping Razz back to reality…along with a quick facehoof. She should have been more worried about that customer at the desk, the one whose ringing woke her up, than her nighttime activities. While Ascot would have no problem dealing with the early morning arrival, it would have been better for Raspberry to have taken it in her opinion. She was still sort of used to short periods of sleep with rude interruptions. But, oddly, she then heard Ascot call for _her_.

Heliodor, who had also been woken up by this point, cooed in confusion as to what was going on.

“Probably more royal nonsense,” groaned Raspberry, making sure her visible form was the one without the forehead stalagmite of evil. A quick nod of approval to her reflection being the desired one, she quickly made her way out the door. “I’ll be right back, Heelee, this shouldn’t take long.”

With a *click* the room returned to silence. The phoenix blinked a few times, shrugged, and then dipped his head to go back to sleep. Except the ascension to dreamland was suddenly cut short by the bedroom door quickly being flung open with a much-more awake Raspberry standing in the lit hallway.

“Scratch that, Heliodor. We might be up all night.”

* * *

It was maybe three in the morning, but when the guards finally allowed in the distraught couple: Silver Hammer and his wife Gallery Rose to see the princess. When it was mentioned Silver Spoon had now gone missing under the same circumstances Diamond Tiara had, Twilight immediately had Spike send a letter to Canterlot for Captain Stonewall of the Royal Guard to be awake and ready for further orders. If this latest incident was the work of Fair Vista yet again, the entire town was in grave danger and guardsponies would need to be at the ready for deployment should she deem it necessary. As it was right now, she’d hurried over to the Traveler’s Retreat to pick up Raspberry.

Twilight had also intended to get Applejack or Apple Bloom, given they would be able to pick up the scent of another werewolf as they couldn’t assume the same level of sloppiness as at the Rich Mansion, but had encountered Lightning Dust on the way. Deciding to not bother the Apples – they didn’t need more trouble from Fair Vista as much as they needed a good night’s sleep – Twilight decided to bring Lighting along instead.

“I don’t even think we _need_ to guess who the culprit was this time,” sighed Twilight to her companions.

“Then why am I here?” asked Lightning in a huff. “If you are already sure it was-“

“Doesn’t hurt to be totally sure. Besides, you were already up, so no point in waking up ponies who need their sleep. Plus, the guard is already suspicious of things in the Everfree after what Raspberry found at the Rich Mansion. They see you running around in bad enough lighting to think you’re a wolf?” The alicorn quickly brought up a foreleg and pantomimed cutting off her head from the base of her neck.

“Yeah, you got a point.”

“Unless of course you try to kill her,” said Raspberry, an evil gleam in her eye. “Then they’ll _try_ to kill you but then once you tell them of your tragic backstory, how you’re just misunderstood, they’ll find a way to just enslave you to their service as a princess.” She finished with a wide grin, though it quickly faded upon seeing the confused looks on Twilight and Dust.

“Was…was that supposed to be a joke or something?” the werewolf asked with trepidation, unsure of what to expect from the unicorn with the phoenix on her head.

“Yeah, I’ll admit it was sort of in bad taste, but c’mon! I actually had to live through all that, now that I’m a princess don’t I have a right to at least joke about how my life up to now was so terrible that if it was in a book, there wouldn’t be a single publisher who would take it based on the grounds it was too ridiculous?”

Neither Twi or Dust quite knew how to respond, though mercifully a distraction soon presented itself. “Hey, we’re here!” pointed out Twilight. Indeed, they had arrived at the Silver mansion. True to its name, it was as if it was carved from a single, abnormally huge ingot of silver, though in reality it was externally a mix of fine stone and marble, polished to a mirror-like shine. “Huh, can’t say they have homes this nice back in Canterlot.”

“Weight restrictions, probably,” snarked Lightning, taking the lead of the group. “After all, I can’t imagine Canterlot being able to support a large number of solid houses like this, a castle-based settlement perched precariously on the edge of the tallest mountain in the country _can’t_ risk too much bloating. But then again, most cities can’t be like Cloudsdale or the upper part of Los Pagasas.”

“What are you implying?” asked Raspberry, eyebrow raised with Heliodor mimicking the action. “That whatever pegasus town you were born isn’t as limited as Canterlot in terms of expansion or something?”

“Who do you think I am, Rainbow Dash? I wasn’t born in a cloud city, to be precise my hometown is actually Detrot.”

“Oh…sorry.” Raspberry felt slightly ashamed at her accusation. She’d been to Detrot a few years ago, certainly nowhere near as unwelcoming to her as Lonesome Dove but also not the greatest place to grow up if one was a pegasus.

“Don’t worry about it, your highness.” Dust cracked a grin at the annoyed look Raspberry shot her way. “Besides, we got bigger problems at hoof.”

While Twilight had been off getting Dust and Raspberry, the guards had escorted Mr. Silver and Mrs. Rose back to their home, which was now in the process of being locked down much like its counterpart the Rich Mansion. It quickly became evident that while the state of the mansions were the same, the parents clearly were not. While Mr. Rich had clearly been worried about his daughter much more than his wife, with Silver Spoon’s parents the mother was as worried as Mr. Rich but the father seemed to be downright livid about the matter.

“How could this happen!?” he snarled at nopony in particular, “It’s a disgrace!”

“Dear, please,” begged Mrs. Rose, “there was nothing anypony could have done by the time there was any indication something was wrong.”

“I still can’t accept this, not when it was our daughter!”

“Mr. Hammer, you aren’t accusing the guards of being incapable of filling their position, are you?” asked Twilight, unsure of just what the distraught stallion was going on about. At the same time, she shot a quick nod to Raspberry and Dust, who proceeded to go inside the mansion itself.

“No, no, the guards are doing just fine. Really, I can’t fault them for this.”

“Then, please, what are you so angry about?”

“Because…because as a father I failed my daughter!” the anger started to turn into tears. “I used to be a Royal Guard myself, 315th Engineering Corps, when I was younger. I wasn’t expected to do any fighting but I still got pretty good at hoof-to-hoof before I needed to take over the family business of silversmithing. Had I been there to stop whoever took my daughter in time, I would have-“

“Mr. Hammer, I assure you, there is truly _nothing_ you could have done,” Twilight said sternly. She knew it wasn’t what Silver Hammer or his wife had wanted to hear from her.

“How…how can you _say_ such a thing?!” Gallery Rose looked like she could have slapped Twilight right then and there had the princess not replied fast enough.

“Because you daughter was probably taken by something – not somepony, some _thing_ – that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen or were trained to fight, Mr. Hammer.”

“Oh, don’t tell me this has something to do with that stupid werewolf business that Silver Spoon’s friend was going on about!” Twilight blanched slightly at the fact the stallion knew more than he probably should have. “I refuse to believe that some paranormal piece of fiction has made off with my daughter, or that even if that is the case that I wouldn’t have been able to stop her, no matter what you say princess!” He backed off upon realizing he’d overstepped his station. “Uh, sorry, no offense.”

“It’s alright, Mr. Hammer, I’m well aware of how…unusual the idea may seem, and that you’re currently under a lot of emotional stress, but I will ensure that I put everything in my power to use in finding your daughter and return her safely to you.”

“Thank you, Princess Twilight.”

The princess of magic let a small smile grace her muzzle before she caught in the corner of her eye the form of Heliodor trying to catch her attention. No doubt Raspberry and Lightning had already found something she needed to see. “You are most welcome. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my compatriots need me.” Having seen Twilight acknowledge him, Heliodor promptly took flight, expecting the princess to follow suit. She did, with some awkwardness as she really wasn’t in the shape for an early morning flight, but the distance was short she soon discovered. An opened window on the other side of the mansion was her destination, upon landing inside she found Lightning and Razz waiting. “Alright, girls, what did Fair Vista leave behind this time?”

“Uh, yeah, about that…” nervously said Lightning, “whatever happened here _wasn’t_ her doing.”

Twilight was stunned, then annoyed. “This isn’t the time for jokes, either of you, there are now two fillies missing and-“

“Trust me, Twi,” interrupted Raspberry, “since I just cracked a pretty bad joke about how horrible my life was not to long ago, I know this looks even worse. But this isn’t a ruse or anything; Fair Vista wasn’t here.”

“Then…what took Silver Spoon?”

A quick glance between the two non-alicorns, then a beckons to follow saw Twilight following her friends down the hallway and to a partially open door. The plaque on it said _Silver Agatha Spoon_.

“Oh…oh my…” was all Twilight could say, a hoof raised to her mouth in shock at what she saw. Silver’s room was, simply put, a warzone. Absolutely nothing in the room had been left untouched in what looked like a fierce struggle. The closet had been torn apart, one of the doors ripped clean off its hinges, the window curtains were dislodged and partially ripped, as if tugged really, really hard, and there was a large hole in the drywall but not deep enough to penetrate through the masonry that formed the outside.

But most horrifyingly of all was the bed, or rather the state it was in. _Something_ had clearly clawed its way through the blankets, with shreds of fabric and the cotton stuffing surrounding the bed, the pegasus-down filled pillows in a similar state of ruin. The sheets, while still on the bed, also had deep claw marks carved into them, deep enough that the springs in the mattress were poking through. The piece de resistance, of course, was the disturbingly large pool of blood in the middle of the bed, in the center of which was what looked like half of a bracelet.

“I have to hand it to Silver, she clearly put up one heck of a fight!” commented Dust, worried that should Silver turn up ok, her anger would have her go against Lightning because she too was a werewolf. “But then again, she wasn’t fighting Fair Vista.”

“What do you mean she wasn’t?” questioned Twilight skeptically. “Who else could have done this?”

“Twilight, you know better. Fair Vista, if she had a physical body as evidenced by what we found at the Rich Mansion, then she would have had no problem restraining Silver and…” Raspberry gulped, involuntarily putting a hoof on her throat and remembering very vividly what it was like having her throat torn out. There had been a lot of blood, like what was now on the mattress. “Yeah. However, if the one who attacked – and bit…and kidnaped- Silver was much more evenly matched in strength, then this crime scene makes more sense.”

“But it had to have been Fair Vista! The claw marks, the…the blood, the everything! Unless gryphons somehow decided to kidnap Silver, which still doesn’t explain the blood anyway, there’s no other reason for how Silver’s room is this ruined!”

Raspberry didn’t immediately respond, instead levitating the bracelet that was on the bed closer to her. A quick examination had her nod sadly, before passing it on to Twilight.

“Hey, can I get a look?” impatiently asked Lightning.

“No.” answered Raspberry. “It’s made of almost pure silver, this thing would burn you on contact pretty badly, as it did to the last werewolf it touched.”

Twilight, on the other hoof, was even more horrified by what she saw. “N-no, this…this can’t be true…no way this means what I think it means.”

“I’m afraid so, Twilight,” said Raspberry, levitating the silver bracelet which still had the partially burned remains of distinctively pink fur stuck to its surface. “Diamond Tiara is a werewolf…and for all we know, she’s forced Silver Spoon to the same fate.”

“But _why_?” asked Lighting, mouth slightly agape, “being a werewolf _sucks!_ Why would she want to spread this damn curse around?”

“Because she’s under Fair Vista’s control, Dust,” glumly answered Twilight, already formulating the letter she would soon need to send to Canterlot in her head. “Fair Vista’s trying to turn Ponyville into the pack of werewolves that Sable Loam intended to use me, and then Applejack, to create.”

* * *

The town of Ponyville was full of nervous worry, quite understandable given the news.

“Have you heard? Silver Spoon’s been kidnaped, too!”

“Oh, no! First Diamond Tiara, now Silver Spoon? You think somepony is holding them for ransom because of their family’s wealth?”

“I don’t know, but I’m keeping my children home until the culprits are brought to justice!”

Then, shortly after lunchtime, it was noticed that a large division of pegasi in guard barding had journeyed from Canterlot, by way of Cloudsdale, along with an unheard of addition of what appeared to be a division of Princess Luna’s night guard. While antagonism between the day and night guards didn’t go past basic rivalries, the two tended to never intermingle operations. The fact they were doing just that suggested the situation in Ponyville was much more dire than anypony could have guessed.

Princess Twilight happened to be one of the ponies who had been not-entirely fully informed of the situation, as she was surprised to see the bat ponies landing alongside the pegasus ponies.

“Corporal Skyracer, reporting in you highness!” saluted the commanding officer, a pegasus. “The 352nd Guard Regiment is here in full, as you requested.”

“Corporal Summer Daffodil, also reporting in with the 501st ‘Strike Bats’ Regiment!” added the bat pony mare who moved to salute next to her white-and-blue counterpart.

“I do thank you and your respective groups for hurrying to Ponyville in such a short amount of time, but while I do appreciate having a Lunar Guard regiment at my disposal, I don’t recall having requested any more than a single day guard regiment.”

“It was ordered by Princess Luna, your highness,” explained Daffodil. “Due to some recent reorganization, a good portion of the 501st is pretty green when it comes to deployed service, and so Princess Luna thought it would be a good way to break them in as the crisis at hand reportedly may need the specialties of bat ponies for night operations.”

Twilight nodded agreeably. “I see. Well, all the same, it’s great to have so many ponies ready to protect this town at such a short notice. Corporals, I will need you to come with me when I address the town of what is to be done about the current problem. But the rest of your troops may set up camp in the meantime, after the town address I will leave it in your hooves to organize the ponies at your disposal to protect the town as you see fit.

Another pair of salutes from the lead pegasus and bat pony, before both delegated to their subordinates the job of overseeing the establishment of their joint base camp. Shortly thereafter, Skyracer and Daffodil had changed to their dress uniforms and were escorting the princess to the town hall.

“If I may ask, your highness,” inquired Skyracer, “but what exactly _is_ the need for so many extra guards around Ponyville? Things seem safe enough to me.”

“Oh, please, I might have actually believed that if you weren’t in the guard,” chortled Daffodil. “But seriously, I must admit I am curious to know as soon as possible, too, as while I am loathe to admit it the fact the townsponies seem extremely _happy_ to see so many guards all of a sudden is rarely a good indicator of things to come.”

“I thought you might ask that, which is why before I give my little speech, there is something you need to see first,” cryptically answered Twilight as the trio arrived at Golden Oaks. ”Please, step inside.”

Exchanging wary looks, the pegasus and bat guardsponies entered the tree library with some concern. What they found waiting inside, other than the expected bookshelves, a central table, and various adjustments suggesting the tree served as Twilight’s home as well as the public library, was a nervous orange mare wearing a Stetson sipping from a cup and a purple dragon going around to reshelve books.

“Ah thought you said there was only gonna be the _one_ guard, Twi.” Replied the orange mare. Skyracer fought the urge to verbally reprimand the other pony for not regarding the princess as per her station, realizing it was Applejack, the Element of Honesty, and she was perfectly within her rights to call the princess any way she desired.

“Yeah, well, Luna decided to send some bat ponies, too, and really you know as well as anypony we can’t have too many guards to deal with _her_.”

Daffodil raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, but… _her_? Who is this ‘ _her_ ’ you speak of?” Skyracer looked equally curious.

“Jeez, Twilight, you didn’t tell them about-“ started Spike, who in his turn realized this _was_ Twilight telling them.

Skyracer was getting his impatience override his calm demeanor now. “Must we be kept in the dark longer for some reason?”

“No, in all honesty the longer you and your troops are kept in the dark about this the more danger Ponyville is put into by the second.” Twilight assumed as much of a ‘princess knows best’ pose as she could muster, wings opened and everything. “But first, I need to know how much _you_ know about it. This will sound odd, but…what do either of you know about werewolves?”

Daffodil couldn’t stop from snickering. “Is _that_ what this is about? I’m sorry, your majesty, but werewolves are nothing but a myth, the things my mom used to weave into those old Nightmare Night ghost stories she told me and the rest of the sprang when I was a filly. You can’t seriously-HOLYSHIT!”

Applejack, wanting desperately to get to the point, had opted to just get off her seat and change into wolf form without much fanfare. Daffodil, the more excitable of the two corporals, launched backwards into the air, her ridged wings beating hard to keep up with her racing heart that came as a result of all the Nightmare Night stories evidently not having been so made up after all. Skyracer, for his part, managed to stay on the ground, though his wings also flared and he’d taken more than a single backstep. He also was the first to get his voice back.

“W-wait a second…if Lady Applejack _is_ a werewolf, and the problem you need so many guards for also involve werewolves…there are more of them?!”

Twilight shook her head. “As far as we can confirm, there’s only one. _However_ , she’s not only come back from the dead, she’s far more cunning and dangerous than any real wolf and she aims to create some kind of werewolf army to overthrow the current tetrarchy.”

“Ok, not gonna lie, but that’s the _dumbest_ thing I’ve ever heard,” said Daffodil from her lofty position.

“That’s what _I_ said, too!” called out Spike from the other side of the room.

“Yeah, no arguments from us on that,” replied Applejack, rolling her eyes. “But here’s the thing; just because Celestia could whip her plot into next Tuesday _right now,_ the werewolf we’re dealin’ with – some haridelle named Fair Vista – has foalnapped two fillies from town, and we’re sure she’s gonna try to do it again sometime soon.”

“Which is where we come in,” assumed Skyracer. “This…Fair Vista character could strike at any time and any place around town, so we can’t be too careful.”

“Alright, that I can get behind,” agreed Daffodil. “But since werewolves are just, well, pony colored wolves – no offense, Lady Applejack – do we know what she looks like?”

“Heh, you’re not gonna believe this, but…” Twilight suddenly blasted Applejack with a spell that changed the mare’s colors. Applejack now was a green mare with a two tone mane; sky blue and a shade of yellow softer than what it was before. Her eyes were pink, if not also slightly glowy, and her cutie mark was now a faded sunrise framed by two equally faded mountain peaks.

“Um…” Daffodil was not quite sure what the point of this exercise was. “I get the colors, but…just knowing the colors isn’t going to help us tell our troops what to be on the lookout for. I mean, a ‘spring colored Applejack’ can’t possibly-“

Now it was Applejack’s turn to snicker. “That’s actually the whole point why Twi just changed mah appearance; Fair Vista _does_ look like me. Ah’m actually her great-to-the-somethin’ power granddaughter, much as Ah don’t appreciate followin’ her hoofsteps in bein’ a werewolf.”

“Oh…OH!” The irony of Daffodil’s earlier words about how Fair Vista would have been just a pony-colored wolf, only for it to turn out she looked a lot like Applejack to begin with, finally hit the bat pony hard and her normally dark gray fur was lit up on her face like a red lightbulb.

* * *

Twilight’s artificially enhanced voice boomed all over Ponyville and could be heard from the outskirts of town. Stuff about how there was a curfew and that the night guard would be working with the day guard around the clock to protect everypony and…

“She’s a princess, hiding behind guards is what she does best,” drawled Diamond Tiara, also hiding with Vista. The only signs of her having been a pony were her relative size still being that of a filly, her cutie mark still prominent on her flank (though the side effect of lycanthropy; cutie mark mange, had already started to make her mark fade though now she didn’t care), and her insistence on wearing her namesake tiara. But otherwise, her once bright colors were now slightly matted with dirt and in dire need of a wash, the purple-and-white in her hair somewhat in disarray, and her equine features distorted such that she was more like a large dog. She folded her pink paws in order to make herself more comfortable. “Honestly, I don’t know why you’re even keeping us here, what advantage will you gain from listening to that nerdy blowhard?”

“Simple, my young pup. She may be smart, but she’s no good at withholding information. For example; she _just_ mentioned that the night guards have the honor of Ponyville to be their first assignment. No doubt they’ll be assigned to be the majority of the guards assigned to protect the town at night, being that the bat ponies are so efficient at night operations such that they make the regular day guard look like newborns. Still doesn’t make up for a complete lack of experience, however, which is perfect for us.”

“How do you know that?” Diamond was curious. “Bat ponies only recently were enlisted as a whole different guard for Princess Luna after she was restored, before that few ponies even remembered they existed and were native to the mountains.”

“Simple. Back during the glory days when Sable Loam was still around, he’d tell me how the princess of the night had bat guards who, obviously, were better suited for that kind of thing than the boring old pegasi of the day guard. I always thought that they would make good allies since their ancestors had rebelled alongside Nightmare Moon and what was left of the werewolf packs soon after the fall of Sombra, but obviously that’s not an option. Still, it’s valuable info, all because of somepony’s loose lips. You never know if what you say can get the better of you in the end. Isn’t that right, Spoony?”

The third member of the trio just nodded. Silver Spoon, too, had been turned into a werewolf, by her former best friend no less. She’d never been fond of her colors, thinking they made her look old more than of the precious metal her name came from, but now they betrayed her again as of the three werewolves she looked the most _like_ a true wolf. Her cutie mark was just starting to fade, leaving the only other signs she’d even been a filly as her mane – still in its braids, much to her relief as there was no way she was going to fix them with paws – and her blue glasses. Secretly, she’d been amused with how despite the physical performance boost gained from lycanthropy, her eyesight was still bad enough that she needed her glasses. They drove Fair Vista crazy, since she wanted this fledgling ‘pack’ to be as unpony as possible, though due to the bloody affair in Silver’s bedroom one of the lenses was cracked and without a way to escape Fair Vista’s will, Silver was left partially blindsided as a result.

“Enh, you’ll come around,” shrugged Diamond. “Really, lycanthropy isn’t all that bad once somepony gets used to it.”

“Everypony will get used to it, eventually. At least once we finish what Sable Loam started.” A mean grin appeared on Vista’s muzzle as she stood up. “Princess Egghead just finished up, so no doubt there will be guards coming around. We must head back, preparations need to be made for tonight.”

Silently, the alpha werewolf darted off into the depths of the forest, her pink protégé’ in tow. Silver was much slower in getting up, sneaking one last longing glance at her hometown before reminding herself that _not_ following Fair Vista would be hazardous to her health.

_I hope the guard can handle the oncoming storm_ she thought, turning tail and unwillingly heading back into her living nightmare’s base camp, _or else tonight is going to be a bloodbath_.


	56. Book2 Ch.31 Gekkou no Hikari

Rise of the Furball Chapter 31: “Gekkou no Hikari” (Light of the Moon)

  


Ponyville’s populace was not unaccustomed to large-scale disasters happening that would potentially incite panic and mass hysteria, but all the times before there had usually been some kind of easy solution provided by Twilight Sparkle or one of her friends. The fact she had needed to bring in an entire guard regiment, with Princess Luna having supplied a _second_ guard regiment, to even start to solve the most recent problem had ponies concerned just _what_ was going on. After all, the citizens of Ponyville were unaccustomed to something that was outright abducting their children.

But for Pear Blossom, she had a much deeper fear to worry about.

“Oh, come on Ms. Blossom!” laughed Cashmere, putting pears into her bag. “You’ve been here in Ponyville for a while now, you know this will all blow over soon enough.” The proprietor of the Retreat was under the assumption the grocer was afraid of the amount of guards walking around.

“Y-yes, of course _bella_ ,” nervously replied the pear merchant.

Cashmere was unconvinced. “Honestly, you are acting like you’re going to be thrown to a manticore or something, what’s the matter?”

“Don’t w-worry, it’s n-nothing, really…”

The elderly pony narrowed her eyes as she dropped her smile. “I know when somepony is hiding something they’re scared of. Celestia knows my three kids all did the exact same thing you were doing when they were convinced the Slenderpony was hiding under the bed and in the closet simultaneously.” She grinned slightly as a truncated chuckle came out of Pear Blossom. “Let me guess, this has something to do with Raspberry turning out to be a dark magic user?”

“…Y-yes!” Pear had to blurt it out. “I mean, I am sure she’s probably still the same mare and all but the fact remains that she’s always liked my pears, both her and her phoenix so if my produce isn’t satisfactory she might-“ A hoof suddenly found its way to Blossom’s muzzle, silencing her.

“My dearie, she won’t do a thing like that,” reassured Cashmere. “In fact, the only reason she asked me to pick up the pears instead of her doing it personally was she needs to do some research or something.”

“R-research?”

“Yeah, something to do with what’s going on, she doesn’t want to tell us due to the ‘delicate nature’ or whatever. But that should tell you right there you have nothing to fear from her, since she’s going to all this trouble to protect everypony. She’s truly just your average unicorn, just…with a twist, I guess?”

“If you are sure, madam. I apologize for being afraid, but in light of all these happenings one can not be too careful. As a matter of fact, Knotwood suggested we take our vacation early this year, away from Ponyville to be somewhere a bit safer.”

“You and practically half the town it seems,” commented Cashmere, giving over the amount of bits she owed for the pears. “After two foalnappings, the entire Royal Guard could set up shop here, wouldn’t make familes feel any safer. Anyway, I need to get back to the Retreat, so I’ll be seeing you.”

The mares said their farewells and went their separate ways. Cashmere hadn’t told poor Pear Blossom the whole truth; which was that Raspberry had been _very_ open to them about what was going on. Of course, she hadn’t really had a choice otherwise given she accidently let it slip in private about how the werewolf terrorizing the town was the same one who caused all the trouble on Nightmare Night _and_ had tried to do terrible things to the unicorn by way of ripping her throat out.

_But my Razz is strong like that,_ thought Cashmere, pausing momentarily to smile at how she was being so possessive of the young mare. It was sort of ironic: Raspberry’s magic and heritage was of the darkest and most brutal origins imaginable, yet she only brought light and warmth into the old bed and breakfast. While both Cashmere and Ascot were expecting to live on for a few more years, they were still at the age when their mortality was only too present and they didn’t know what to do with their business in the event they passed on. Their kids; Paradise Dream, Autumn Storm, and Carry On, were all grown up and had moved away to pursue their own interests. They wouldn’t know the first thing about running the bed and breakfast they grew up in, which was unfortunate as Ascot had hoped to keep the place within the family.

But as Cashmere walked back into the Retreat to be greeted by the younger unicorn, still levitating a book she’d clearly been reading while waiting to serve anypony at the front desk, the elderly pony knew her foster daughter of sorts would be the right mare to inherit the business.

“Oh, wow, that’s a lot of pears!” said Raspberry, generating a second aura of magic around one of the fruits in Cashmere’s bag, lifting it out into the open.

“Indeed, they’re from Pear Blossom, as you requested.” After Razz put the pear back in the bag, Cashmere hurried into the kitchen to store the fruits away. When she was done, there was more on her mind to talk with Raspberry about. “So, Raspberry, once this whole, erm, ‘werewolf’ thing is dealt with, do you plan on staying in Ponyville?”

“I have to. Don’t you remember?” replied Raspberry, back to reading her book. “Technically I’m sentenced to life servitude to the Crown and unless I’ve got one of the six ponies appointed to be my ‘wardens’ with me, I am under house arrest of sorts. Only instead of a house, it’s just that I can’t leave Ponyville. Though, honestly, I don’t really have anywhere else to go. Ponyville was more or less the last significant town I hadn’t been in that was within Equestria proper, and I can’t go to the frontier towns because Heliodor wouldn’t be able to find anything to eat.” She reached over to scratch the proud phoenix’s chin. “I’m not a fan of frontier towns, anyway, since I was born in one and…well, I don’t need to go into why I don’t want to go back.”

“Razz…Twilight told me about the ‘joke’ you made about your history.”

Raspberry sighed, putting a bookmark in her place before closing the tome and setting it aside on the desk. She then turned to look directly at her adoptive mother. “I know it came off weird, but I don’t see why everypony has a problem with me making fun of my origin.”

“Because you’re treating it as something to be mocked, honey.” Cashmere walked closer and drew up a seat next to Raspberry. “The problem is that by doing so, you’re tempting fate to have ponies go from fearing you as a monster, to treating you like a joke.”

“Honestly, why can’t anypony just let me do what I want with how I see my past? It’s not like I am ever going back to Lonesome Dove, the entire populace would try to kill me the second I set hoof there! Not like they’d succeed considering my inherited regenerative powers, but it would still hurt and I’d gain nothing.”

“Except that wouldn’t happen. Do you think your friends, who based on what you just said earlier would need to accompany you, would allow that to happen? You’re a princess, even! To attack you would be declaring hostilities on all of Equestria, and nopony wants to do that.”

“I guess…but I’m still not going back.”

“Yes, you are.” Cashmere saw she needed to draw on her motherly firmness once again. “While yes, nopony envies you for the trouble your life has-I mean, was, but at the same time your life has shaped you into who you are. Now that you don’t need to be afraid of your powers, or not having a roof to sleep under, the healing can begin. But for that to happen you need to come to have peace in your heart and that will require going home.”

Raspberry said nothing, just looking sullenly at the floor. “I…I don’t know if I can. The memories are bad enough to forget, but just being there…I don’t want to lose control like I did that night. Not again.”

“And you won’t,” Cashmere assuaged, taking Raspberry into a one-legged hug. “You’ve grown stronger, inside and out, but even though other ponies are starting to learn to not fear you, it is necessary that you stop fearing yourself.”

“I…”

Cashmere then took Raspberry’s face into her hooves and oriented it so it was looking right at her. “And don’t tell me you don’t know what to do when you’re at the town. You will know.”

Raspberry didn’t say anything, once again going into a period of self-reflective silence. Finally; “Alright, I think I understand your point, but I’m not going until Fair Vista is dealt with.”

“That’s my girl.” A full hug this time before Cashmere was willing to let Raspberry go.

* * *

Evening was finally starting to set in when the Crusaders were at the train station, with their adult escorts, to see Babs Seed off. News of the pseudo-lockdown of Ponyville had somehow reached her parents and so they had requested their daughter to be sent back to Manehattan where she would be looked after by family friends until the cruise returned.

“It’s a real shame you gotta go when Ponyville is like this,” said Apple Bloom.

“Yeah, I know, really wish our time didn’t have to be cut so short,” snorted Babs, unhappy about the whole affair. “Spendin’ time with you three was the most fun I’ve had in, well, the _last_ time I was here, I guess!”

“You’re always welcome to stay at Sweet Apple Acres!” replied Applejack. “Heck, Ah’ll try to see if you can’t just come back once we deal with you-know-who and rescue those fillies.”

“I’d appreciate it, cousin Applejack!”

The next few minutes were mostly just the Crusaders talking amongst themselves, planning what to do to get their cutie marks and whatnot, as usual. This, in turn, allowed the older ponies to talk amongst themselves, too.

“Ah have to admit, Rares, Ah woulda thought your parents woulda taken Sweetie to safety, too,” confided Applejack. “If Apple Bloom wasn’t needed here because…well, because she’s a werewolf and may be needed to help rescue Tiara and Silver, Ah’d have sent her and Granny off to Appleloosa for safe keepin’.”

“I did tell mother and father of my similar concerns,” answered Rarity, her face etched with trepidation as well. “But of course they already made vacation plans for next month so they don’t have the money to take Sweetie to safety. Honestly I would think it poor of them if it wasn’t the fact their reservations in Ponyville being safe largely have to do with me being one of its principal ‘defenders’ so to speak.”

“At least your parents know about what’s probably going to go down soon,” added Rainbow Dash. “I’ve been trying to contact Scootaloo’s parents all day, haven’t heard a thing from them. Which is _especially bad_ because I need every able-bodied pegasus I can get to deal with that storm over the Everfree.”

“Storm? Is that what those clouds over Castle Everfree are doing, forming up a storm of sorts?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, it’s already being classified as a supercell. If it gets even worse to the point lightning is striking anywhere within a mile radius of the center, the town will need to be evacuated.”

Applejack grimaced. “You think it might have somethin’ to do with whatever Fair Vista’s got in the works?”

“I’m almost certain of it. Which of course implies somehow dark magic is involved.”

“Poor Raspberry, all she wants to do is just work the Traveler’s Retreat, instead she’s needed for her special magic expertise more and more almost daily,” lamented Rarity. She then recognized the sound of a clunky motor shutting off just on the other side of the train station. The two ponies who subsequently showed up were of no surprise to Rarity, given she already knew. “Lyra, Sandalwood, what bring you two here with your, erm, contraption?”

“Hey, Rarity,” answered Sandalwood. “As far as I know, the next train is going to have an order of some perfume ingredients that I need for some of my aromatherapy mixes.”

“Of course, it happens to be a _large_ order, or so I was informed,” added Lyra. “So we needed to bring the car as the Apple Truck is still locked up over at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Hey, at least I got the thing running, alright?” snorted Sandalwood.

“Speaking of running,” observed Sweetie, her squeaky voice coming out of the blue, “is it just me or is the train running a little late?”

“It’s just a few minutes, that’s all,” shrugged Scootaloo. “Not like it’s a deal breaker. Hey, I think I just heard its whistle.”

Sure enough, the train was barreling down the tracks only to apply the brakes and come to a stop in front of the station.

“Hey, isn’t this supposed to be a passenger train to Manehattan?” asked Babs to nopony in particular. She then checked her ticket. “Oh you’ve gotta be kidding…”

“What?” asked Apple Bloom, inching over to take a look.

“The tickets are for a train tomorrow! We’ve been waiting here for nothing!” The group collectively groaned at their collective stupidity.

“Well, look on the bright side,” suggested Sandalwood, who was signing for her materials, “at least you didn’t miss the train, right?”

“Sandalwood,” interjected Applejack, “Ah must admit Ah’d feel better if Babs was on a train back home, it would be safer than here.”

“Oh, please!” Sandalwood let out a whinny in her laugh. “Applejack, I know werewolves, Lyra too. We had to deal with you last time, what does this new pretender to your throne have to offer?”

Almost as if on cue, one of the boxcars of the train rocked _violently_ on its trucks. Then, the door was somehow knocked clean off its mounts, revealing the stowaway cargo inside. Of course, the non-ticketed train riders soon made themselves known when multiple Fair Vistas launched themselves out of the car and right at the now horrified ponies who realized the threat Fair Vista now needed to be described in the plural sense.

Applejack tensed up, right at the verge of shifting into a wolf. She knew it was a risk, exposing herself to the other ponies still around, but she _wouldn’t_ let the need to keep a little secret like hers endanger more innocent ponies. However, right as she felt the familiar pressure in her hooves, the Fair Vista she was readying up to attack suddenly was knocked back and pinned to the boxcar she had just left, a spear impaled through her heart.

“You know what to do, guards!” bellowed a strong, female voice, followed by a sudden surge of guardsponies – both regular pegasi and bat pony variety – converging on the sudden ambush of werewolf clones. Where the Fair Vistas were cunning and ferocious, they were held at bay by the armor and training of the Royal Guards and gradually they began to be pushed back as one by one the Fair Vistas were killed. Where the old werewolf had predicted the newer bat pony guards could be exploited through their inexperience, she had failed to count in the fact that the bat ponies also were naturally more aggressive than the regular pony kinds and so were fatally underestimated.

But in the ensuing chaos, all sight of the crusaders were lost.

“Sweetie? _Sweetie Belle?!”_ cried out Rarity, ducking and weaving, searching frantically for her sister or her friends. Of all the worst possible things, losing her sister in basically a smooze-like mob of identical werewolves qualified as one of the. Worst. Possible. Things. As she was distracted with the search, she did not see one of the Fair Vistas doing something similar to her, only that werewolf had intentions of sinking her fangs into Rarity’s neck. Intentions that Rarity didn’t realize until it was too late for her to take action…but suddenly she was shoved by something in the nick of time and thrown clear. “Wh…wha?” As the unicorn worked to regain her bearings, she was shocked to see that the pony who had saved her was Sandalwood, and for the aromatherapist’s trouble it was now her neck that a Fair Vista had clamped in her fangs, the tan mare’s body having gone limp with trickles of blood already dripping to the ground.

It was shortly followed by the rest of the wounded pony hitting the floor as the werewolf was quickly dispatched by a few guards. As Rarity rushed to Sandalwood’s aid, Lyra doing the same on the other side, the werewolves fell back before finally cutting their losses and the survivors fleeing for the edge of the Everfree in the distance.

“Yeah, we showed them what for!” exclaimed one of the bat ponies, high-fiving another batpony who was wearing an eyepatch in addition to the normal barding.

“Sunshine, Meadowlark!” exclaimed Daffodil, who bucked one of the dead Fair Vista bodies away in disgust, “you’re guard ponies, moreover you are ‘Strike Bats’ under _my_ command, and I will not have any units under _my_ command acting like a bunch of frat ponies when the area is _not_ secured! Is that understood?”

“Yes, m’am!” the two replied in unison, before getting the hint that they should join the rest of the guards in making sure none of the dead werewolves weren’t actually dead.

Daffodil just shook her head, before realizing there was a downed civilian. “Oh dear Luna high on her throne…SOMEPONY CALL FOR A MEDIC, STAT!”

“Ah think we got another issue at hoof!” suddenly called out Applejack, who was inexplicably half-buried in dead werewolves and for a split second Daffodil thought Applejack herself had taken on her werewolf form as well, though one double-take later showed the farmer was not in her beastly state.

“And what would that be, Lady Applejack?”

“Hey, does anypony know where the other Crusaders went?” asked Apple Bloom, unaware that Applejack had noticed the same thing. Gradually, all the ponies still on the platform realized the noticeable absence of Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed.

* * *

Several hours later, Ponyville was in complete lockdown. Nopony not in the guard was allowed to be walking the streets at night, even then the guards couldn’t go around without being in groups of five at minimum.

It was also an extremely low point for the so called “defenders” of Ponyville as they were all gathered in Ponyville General’s waiting room. Sandalwood had potentially sacrificed herself to save Rarity, her fate still unknown if she would live or die. The number of missing fillies was now up to five, the number of enemies poised against Ponyville now possibly in the hundreds, maybe even thousands, though the means of how remained unclear in how Fair Vista not only stopped being a ghost but had also cloned herself. And one of those fillies, Diamond Tiara, was almost certainly a werewolf herself.

“Ah never shoulda scared her like Ah did,” lamented Apple Bloom. “All of this is mah fault.”

“No, Apple Bloom,” said Applejack, holding her sister to her side tightly. “None of this is your fault. It’s Fair Vista’s, always been. Ma, Pa, who knows how many others…she may be technically an Apple to the core, but she’s a rotten one all the way through.”

“Mirror Pool!” exclaimed Raspberry, who seemed to be especially distraught about the situation to the point she buried herself Twilight Sparkle style with books and was frantically looking through various pieces of Sombra’s research notes. “That’s how she has to have done it!”

“But she was a _ghost_!” exclaimed Pinkie, figuring out what Raspberry was talking about. “The Mirror Pool just makes clones of ponies, not brings them back to life! And even then, Twilight sealed it up, there’s no way anypony could dislodge it from the inside!”

“She may have found another one, the legend of the Mirror Pool never specified it was a unique thing,” corrected Twilight, though now she found no joy in her knowledge.

“Indeed,” agreed Raspberry. “If she found an unobstructed Mirror Pool, she could have easily created a clone of herself that was alive – she can turn herself physical for brief periods, reciting the incantation listed here in these books would do the trick – and then just possessed the produced copy to effectively resurrect herself.”

“And then she could make more simple-minded clones to make an army of herself,” grunted Rarity. Gone was the proper lady, for now in her place was her wrath mentality. Having her dear sister foalnapped and a good friend subject to one of two terrible fates was a level of shit the fashionista refused to tolerate. Fair Vista was going to pay.

“But it doesn’t explain why she’s kidnapping fillies left and right,” Fluttershy pointed out.

“It’s because she’s tryin’ to get to me,” answered Apple Bloom. “Tiara was workin’ with her, so they took Silver ‘cause she betrayed them and joined the Crusaders, and then the thing at the train station where the Vista copies took everypony else was just because they’re mah friends and family.”

“Does this have anything to do with the whole possession thing?” asked Lightning, her sudden appearance spooking everypony. “What? I just woke up, came straight here from the house.”

“Sorta, Ah think. Silver told me that Fair Vista’s intention of wantin’ to possess me was all part of some revenge plot to get back at Applejack.”

Applejack nickered. “All because Ah killed Sable Loam, Ah’m bettin’. If any of us had known this kind of stuff woulda happened…ugh, can we have some good news or somethin’ for once?”

All attention was suddenly drawn to Nurse Redheart, who was clearing her throat. “Funny you should say that…” said the medical care provider.

* * *

“When I get my hooves on that bitch, I’m gonna--- **ARGH**!” Snorted Sandalwood, who was remarkably active for somebody who had just recovered from a critical throat injury mere hours before. Needless to say, it put all the ponies gathered around her bed at unease.

“Easy, Sandalwood, easy,” cautioned Rarity, fearful for her spa friend’s welfare, knowing full well that there was only one reason Sandalwood had managed to recover from her injuries faster than Applejack had. “You saved me from that ruffian, I can’t thank you enough for that, but I must insist you take it easy.”

“I’ll take it easy when every last one of those Vista clones is dead, _especially_ the real one. She’s foalnapping innocents, terrorizing the town with her own narcissistic army of herself, and messing up my business! Nopony wants aromatherapy, not when there are bitches running around who can smell that kind of stuff for miles around!”

Lightning, Applejack, and Apple Bloom all immediately picked up on the subtle tells in Sandalwood’s mannerisms that they had become all too familiar with themselves.

“Sandalwood, you best calm down now,” warned Applejack, subtly repositioning her hooves for a slightly stronger stance should the need arise.

“Why, don’t I have a right to be angry at anypony?!” The tan pony was now getting angrier by the second, her eyes seeming to glow for a brief second.

“Not now, Sandalwood. This is not the time to be angry.” Applejack’s fur stood on end, edging closer to the point of no return. Sandalwood was now clearly a threat and not in control of herself because of her temper, but if she didn’t have the same luxury as either of the Apples, there was a chance every single pony in the hospital was now at risk. That prompted AJ to wonder; _Was this part of Fair Vista’s plan, too? Would Rarity have had this happen to her?_

“Twilight, get everypony out of here, _now._ ” Lightning had come to the same conclusion as Applejack.

Sandy also realized what was going on…and that just made her angrier. “Oh Celestia, why does this shit keep happening to me because of bucking _werewolves!?”_ Her distraught state had triggered the lycanthropy, and every single pony in the room realized it. The sudden surge of adrenaline in her system, the pain of transformation, overwhelmed the poor mare’s mind and all she could think about was how much she hated werewolves at that point. So, to her, the most logical action was to pounce on the first werewolf she saw.

Thinking quickly, Twilight teleported everypony out of the room except for Applejack and Lightning Dust. The princess knew that they were the best choice to get Sandalwood back to her senses. Indeed, in unison they assumed their wolf forms and they double-teamed the enraged Sandalwood, now having fully assumed wolf form herself.

“Get a hold of yourself, Sandalwood!” barked Lightning, delivering a mean right hook across her opponent’s face before getting bucked clean across the room in retaliation. But the pitched battle suddenly came to a screeching halt when Applejack returned fire with her own skill in bucking.

“You’re outta yer league, Sandy!” growled the farmer, closing the distance and picking up Sandalwood by the throat before slamming her into a wall. “Now Ah don’t like to remember when Ah ‘intrahduced’ mahself to ya back when Ah was becomin’ a werewolf, but damn if this don’t seem familiar.”

Somehow, being reminded of the incident at the spa jogged Sandalwood’s memory such that she regained her senses. “Uh, y-yeah, I guess?”

“You done bein’ crazy now, Sandalwood?”

“I…I think so…” Sandalwood suddenly fell to the floor, the shock of what just happened finally registering to her sane mind.

“Just so you know, Ah know what it’s like to lose your mind like that. First time was with you, Sandy, though sadly not the only one.”

“I’m guessing you kicking my plot seven ways to Sunday was the other?” said Lightning, rubbing her head to get rid of the little flying stars she was seeing. “Though at the very least I didn’t get hurled into something at the time, which is happening to me now at an increasing rate it seems.”

  


“Yeah, uh…” Sandalwood looked down in embarrassment, “Sorry about that, Lightning.”

“Hey, at least you got the whole transformation pains thing done with in one go, believe me when I say it sucks in having to go through that kinda shit for almost a whole year and _then_ fast-forwarding to the worst part.”

The door then creaked open, Apple Bloom (in wolf form, just in case) peeking her head in. “You girls done fightin’ yet?”

“Yeah, Bloomie,” sighed Applejack, “we’re done.”

Twilight then brushed past Apple Bloom, her face showing more wear and age than anypony her age should have had. “That’s good, girls, because while you were fighting, Rainbow had to be called out to manage the weather team.”

Lighting blanched. “It’s the supercell…isn’t it?”

Twilight nodded glumly. “Raspberry went as well…she says it’s dark magic, something she’s never seen before, but one thing is for sure according to her; Fair Vista is at the heart of that storm, and she’s waiting for something.”


	57. Book2 Ch.32 Fair Ultimatum

Rise of the Furball Chapter 32: “Fair Ultimatum”

The last thing Babs Seed could recall was being at the Ponyville train station, having waited for a train that wasn’t going to come, when somehow a bunch of identical werewolves erupted from a freight car and swarmed the platform. It was in the middle of the ‘swarming’ that at some point she’d been knocked out, evidently because she had been foalnapped herself.

“Unnhhh…” moaned Babs, putting a hoof to her head as it rang from whatever had knocked her out. She immediately registered the fact she was in some kind of prison cell, judging from the old iron bars right in front of her.

“Babs? **BABS!** ” suddenly came the voice of Scootaloo. “Hey, Babs! Are you okay?” The brown filly’s sight started to refocus, allowing her to now see that she was not alone in the cell. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had evidently been waiting for Babs to wake up. They did not look to be in the best condition.

“Wha…what happened?” asked the Apple, realizing she didn’t feel quite up to snuff herself. “All I remember is a buncha werewolves comin’ outta some train car…”

“Yeah, somehow Fair Vista has a lot of identical twins all of a sudden. Must have used some of ‘em to foalnap us, though why they didn’t take Apple Bloom is beyond me.”

“Maybe she fought them off better than we did?” suggested Sweetie. “I mean, obviously we’re pretty beat up so we _have_ to have put up quite a struggle…right?”

Babs could only nod, since how else could they explain the fact all three of them were bruised all over with one or two cuts for each filly and none of them were as energetic as they usually were.

“How much you wanna bet Tiara’s behind this?” snorted Scootaloo, “I’m thinking she wasn’t foalnapped at all, but instead allied herself with Vista!”

“Oh, bravo, the Crusaders finally figured it out.” The imprisoned trio looked wildly around for the sudden source of Tiara’s droning voice: “I’m over here, you _idiots_.” Then, right on the other side of the bars, materialized the altered form of the Crusaders’ scourge. “Do you like my new look? I think it’s quite nice, myself.”

“What, you finally realized your face is even stupider than before?” taunted Scootaloo, getting a laugh out of the Crusaders. “But seriously: you _really_ had yourself be willingly turned into a monster?”

Tiara chuckled. “Oh, so is that what Apple Bloom is to you? A monster? Because she is not more of a werewolf than I am, I _do_ hope you realize that.”

“You couldn’t even keep your best friend!” squeaked Sweetie Belle in angry retaliation. “Even she could tell the difference between you and Apple Bloom!”

The sudden grin with which Diamond brandished her jaws of sharp teeth intimidated the tiny unicorn. “You sure about that?” She then beckoned to another individual the CMC could not see…until a very unhappy looking Silver Spoon emerged to take her unwanted spot at Tiara’s side.

“You really _are_ a monster!” shouted Scootaloo, face to the bars with her hooves wrapped around them tightly. She slitted her eyes, gazing daggers at the crowned lycanthrope. Diamond for her part didn’t seem to give a buck.

“Oh, come, come!” rang a new voice, eerily _too_ cheerful given the circumstances. “Tiara, you know better than to tease the new recruits!”

“O-of course, _mistress_ _,_ ” said Tiara, her voice taking on a tone of innocence once reserved for kissing up to adults. But of more immediate concern was who she was referring to as ‘Alpha’. It didn’t take much guess work, as a very contented Fair Vista was almost bouncing her way over to the jail cell.

“Once a plotkisser, always a plotkisser, even when you’re less of a pony then you were before!” snorted Babs, “I guess something never change, even when the rest of you does to the point of becomin’ the very thing you swore Apple Bloom was – but _worse!”_  
  
The harsh-yet-still-haughty laughter that came from Vista and Tiara chilled the Crusaders to the bone, especially when the ancient werewolf seemed to have a gleam in her eye that couldn’t mean anything good. “No, young one, the _real_ monsters are the freaks who rule this land and the pony who killed my love last year. Ah, ah, don’t give me that questioning look, you’ll understand soon enough when you’re part of our pack.”

“We will _never_ join you!” seethed Scootaloo, Sweetie and Babs mirroring the same angry glare.

“Oh, but you already have!” Vista suddenly snapped her head backward and let out a fearsome howl. Babs reeled back from the volume, but when she noticed the terrified expression shared by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, it became clear that their wounds were _not_ from having given their all in a fight, but were to hide the fact they’d been cursed by Fair Vista and her new cohorts.

Except, as Babs could only watch on in absolute horror as the pegasus and unicorn’s bodies were malformed in the same manner to that of Apple Bloom’s first transformation months prior, something else wasn’t right either.

Tiara was the first to voice what everypony had noticed by that point; “Waitaminute, why isn’t _she_ changing like the others?”

“You _did_ bite down as I told you to, right Silver?” said Vista, her charmed mannerisms having instantly changed to that of a pony on the verge of going postal. “After all, I do recall having _you_ be the one who was to turn the brown one into part of our pack!”

“I-I swear, I did bite down! Hard!” pleaded Silver, the one non-cracked lens in her glasses showing her eyes quivering in fear. “But maybe some ponies just can’t get cur-“

_“Blessed_ is the term you should be using, pup,” interrupted Vista, closer to going off the deep end with her rage. “Though I suppose it can’t be helped if she’s immune or something, she just will have to rot here alone while the rest of Equestria is allowed to bask in what ponies were meant to always be. It would be nice to know how she is still burdened with only being a pony, unlike her liberated companions, to be fair and all.”

“Uh…” Babs racked her brain, trying to come up with some kind of excuse. “I ate a lot of garlic pizza back in Maneha-“

“ **DON’T YOU** DARE **MENTION GARLIC HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH WEREWOLVES!”** screamed Tiara, smashing her face right up against the bars and trying to swipe with her claws at Babs in vain.

“Ha. That’s five bits, Sweetie,” said Scootaloo, evidently still having the strength to laugh despite the agonizing pain she’d just gone through, especially with how hard it hurt to just talk with a canine’s muzzle.

“Now? Are you serious?” Sweetie was slightly farther in recovery, having managed to sit up in a slouched position.

“Um…what are you talking about?” ventured Silver, still wary of setting off Fair Vista.

Babs rolled her eyes. “Sweetie didn’t believe that whole garlic thing at the school actually was your doing.”

Silver just stared. “But I literally told you guys it was us. During the whole Nightmare Night thing? Sandalwood went bezerk from the news. And you _still_ didn’t believe me, even though the rest of what I said was all true?”

Sweetie, now fully sitting upright, slowly shrugged. “I didn’t think Tiara was actually that stupid at the time.”

“You think these bars will protect you?” threatened Tiara. “When you get outta there, I’m gonna teach you why you need to show me more respect.”

“Now now, Tiara,” chastised Fair Vista, slowly resuming her over-abundantly cheerful attitude, “we can’t let them out yet, we need them as bait to lure the Apple bitches here.”

“I-if I may make a suggestion?” asked Silver.

“Yes?”

“Since one of them evidently can’t be cu-I mean, _blessed -_ with the _gift_ of lycanthropy, I would suggest we use her to our advantage in a different role.”

“Go on…”

“I say we release her to deliver a message to the so-called ‘princess’ and her friends, letting her know that Applejack and Apple Bloom are to come to this castle by themselves or else we hurt the other two captives by turning them into our own.”

“Uh…we already _did_ that, Silver,” pointed out Tiara, skepticism heavy in her voice.

“Then we already win, even if the Apples somehow have a chance against our pack.”

Diamond looked like she was going to argue a point, but Fair Vista’s nodding of approval silenced her. “Maybe I was wrong about you, Silver Spoon, you might make a good werewolf yet. You may take the brown one and send her with an ultimatum.”

“Thank you, mistress.”

Babs, on the other hand, barely had time to say goodbye to the other Crusaders before Silver insisted on hauling the urbanite away.

“I thought you were cool, Silver,” seethed Babs, “but I guess now-“

“Shut up, stay quiet, and do _exactly as I say_ if you want any chance of making it back home alive,” whispered Silver, swinging Babs around so they were face to face. Then, with some effort, Silver willed herself back into pony form and took off her broken glasses. “Tiara’s fallen too far to know if she can be saved, but do not doubt my spirit. I am and always will be a pony at heart, and right now it is my duty as a pony to help warn those who actually can stop what Fair Vista plans to do.”

* * *

“Your highness, we cannot permit you to do this!” declared Skyracer, slamming a hoof down on the table inside Golden Oaks. With Sandalwood back on her hooves and under the careful supervision of Applejack, the ponies closest to the princess had gathered in the library to discuss the grave situation at which Ponyville and five of its fillies were in.

“I have to, Corporal, I’m a motherbucking _princess!”_ retorted Twilight, “and I’m not going to let a couple of fillies be killed or worse, be turned into _werewolves against their will_ , without me having done anything in my power to try and prevent that!”

“Your reasoning is sound, my liege,” conceded Daffodil, “but as it is our sworn duty to protect the Royal Tetrarchy, of which you are a member, and that protection extends to preventing you from wadding barrel-deep into a den of werewolves who would probably try to turn you into one of their own!”

“Um, actually, they wouldn’t be able to,” meekly corrected Raspberry. “The raw magic that flows through their blood is far too strong for any strain of the curse to latch on to, generally they’re the only species of pony that’s inherently immune to the curse. I’m only immune because Sombra built a failsafe into the curse that prevented him and any of his descendants from contracting it.”

“Does that mean her majesty also can’t be killed by werewolves?”

“Well…no…”

“Then my point stands!”

The angry murmur from the gathered ponies did not indicate that was what they wanted to hear.

“Then what do you propose we do, Corporal?” asked Rainbow. “Looking past the fact you and the rest of the guards don’t want us going into their lair to at least try and save innocents, the result of fusing a tornado with a hurricane is still building up over Castle Everfree and we’re certain Fair Vista has something to do with it as no weatherponies can do a thing to stop it!”

Skyracer scowled. “And we can’t evacuate the town because that would give that monster and her duplicates the perfect opening to attack the entire populace while the ensuing chaos would prevent the guards from defending against the werewolves in an effective manner.”

“So, I guess this is a case of ‘damned if we do, damned if we don’t’ more or less?” rhetorically asked Rarity. “It’s a shame that we can’t just borrow the Elements of Harmony for this from the Tree of Harmony, since we can’t risk the Tree losing power again. Who knows what horrors would be unleashed.”

Rainbow nodded. “For all we know, the only reason that storm hasn’t gotten worse than it already has is because it’s being tempered by the Tree’s power, though in that case we don’t know for how much longer it can hold the tempest back, since there’s some kind of magic involved.”

“Ah think Razz said somethin’ about it bein’ dark magic,” said Applejack. “What on account of what lycanthropy is made from and all, right?”

“Yeah,” acknowledged Raspberry, “but how Fair Vista can form such a thing when she was originally an earth pony is beyond me, as there’s no way she can control any kind of magic without a horn or a possible biological adaption to serve a similar purpose.”

“I’m pretty sure her ability to spread lycanthropy through magically created clones, if that Mirror Pool theory is at all true, means she can use _some_ magic,” pointed out Sandalwood. “after all, we all pretty much agree Applejack spread the curse to Apple Bloom by accident and not by a bite, so I have to assume that means she cast magic in _some_ way.”

“This might sound crazy,” interrupted Lightning, “but even though you think it’s dark magic, Raspberry, what if it’s not directly from Vista?”

“Wh-what do you mean?” stammered Fluttershy.

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that stupid wolf and her army of narcissism is under that storm, but if they’re holed up in those ruins – the _same_ ruins where Nightmare Moon was both created and destroyed – then that place is ripe with uncontrolled magic. The Everfree doesn’t play by normal rules of anything as it is already, who’s to say that storm isn’t the forest reacting to a large, evil presence building up in the same place?”

“I hardly see how anypony can come to that conclusion, given that it didn’t do this whenever Nightmare Moon was around.” Said Twilight, “What makes Fair Vista different from the beast that possessed Princess Luna?”

“Nightmare Moon was merely the manifestation of Luna’s dark side,” said Raspberry, having figured out another part of the puzzle. “For all the evil alicorn did, she was neither a resurrected spirit nor was there more than one of her. Additionally, of the two times Nightmare was at Castle Everfree, she was there for less than a couple of hours if what has been told to me is at all accurate. Vista has been there – times how many clones of herself there are with her – for _days_. The Everfree may not have reacted to Nightmare Moon simply because it didn’t have time to form a response like this!”

“But why a storm that is full of dark magic? It doesn’t make sense that the Everfree would put out something like that, the forest is wild but it’s not evil like King Somb-“ Twilight froze when her eyes were locked with Raspberry’s, the mulberry mare’s face looking hurt at once again being called evil because of her magic handicap. The princess immediately made to apologize, before realizing more of the truth. “No, it’s _because_ the Everfree isn’t evil that it’s using dark magic in a way we don’t understand!”

“Huh?” Everypony in the room was confused.

“Raspberry, you’re an example of this phenomenon: you are the closest thing to King Sombra in both lineage and raw dark power alive, but ponies still call you evil simply because you use dark magic! They see that as a sign of you being a high-level threat, thus they will act accordingly if they don’t know better!”

“Uh, Twilight?” interrupted Pinkie Pie, “You want to try explaining that in terms we can understand?”

“The Everfree is trying to _help_ us!” exclaimed the alicorn, the full picture now clear to her. “Normally, some animals employ a form of mimicry such that they serve as warning signs to ward off predators with false illusions of being more dangerous than they really are. Here, the Everfree is doing something of a similar nature, but it’s warning us of the danger within!”

“That makes no sense!” argued Daffodil. “It’s a _forest_ , not a living creature!”

“We don’t know that.” Fluttershy caught everybody off guard when she turned out to be the one responding. “Like Lightning said, the Everfree doesn’t play by the rules as defined by ponies. Maybe this is its own way to try and communicate to us?”

“Well, it certainly takes out the guesswork in figuring out where Fair Vista is, but that still leaves us with the problem of-“

Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Your majesty, one of the patrols has returned with one of the fillies who was foalnapped! She says she needs to talk to you!”

“For Celestia’s sake, boys!” cried out Skyracer, “let the poor girl in! The door isn’t exactly locked!”

The two-part door into Golden Oaks opened up, revealing a slightly beaten up Babs Seed with a guard flanking her on each side.

**“BABS!”** exclaimed Apple Bloom, saying the first thing to leave her mouth since leaving the hospital and instantly charged right at her cousin to grapple her in a big hug. “Ah was so worried!”

“Yeah, how did you escape?” asked Rainbow. “And what happened to Scootaloo and Sweetie, or Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara?”

The way Babs seemed to try and figure out how to voice what she was going to say immediately informed everypony that it was not good. A curt nod from Twilight had the guards outside shut the door for privacy.

“It’s good to see you all, but really the only reason I’m ‘supposed’ to have been able to return is to deliver some ultimatum to Applejack and Apple Bloom.”

“Ah guess this is where we figure out why she’s cooped up with her army of lookalikes in the Everfree ruins.” Said Applejack. “Let me guess; she wants me and mah sis to go alone to the castle to go fight her, with any funny business meanin’ the other four fillies she’s got in her grasp get turned into werewolves like us?”

Babs blinked a few times in surprise. “Uh, yeah, that’s actually pretty much it. How did you-?”

Applejack laughed. “It’s not the first time Ah’ve had to face off against an evil werewolf, though Sable Loam didn’t actually come back from the dead or have identical clones, come to think of it.”

Raspberry was more grim in her outlook. “But why would she even bother sending an ultimatum? After that stunt at the train station she should have figured out we know about the duplicates.”

Babs sighed. “When she was talkin’ to me and the other Crusaders, she seemed to not exactly be quite all there in the head, if you know what I mean.”

Pinkie nodded as if in agreement. “That means she did clone herself with a Mirror Pool and then possessed the body. Two identical minds occupying the same form…while the original could easily dominate the mind of the inferior copy, they aren’t exactly the same mind to the level that they could work in harmony. Thus, the original is getting distorted in her thought processes and slowly going insane.”

“How did you know all that?!” asked Raspberry, dumbfounded.

“Just a hunch!” cheerfully answered Pinkie, leaving Razz with no further clue as to what had happened.

Twilight just chuckled before getting back into serious mode. “Unfortunately, that means that nest of wolves is all the more dangerous, and for all we know the other fillies are already werewolves.”

“Well…” Babs started, then became unsure of if she should continue or not. However, the horrified reactions from the older ponies showed she’d already said enough.

“No! Not Sweetie Belle!” exclaimed Rarity, “she’s too young for this!” The thought of her sister befalling such a fate, the latest in the series of ponies close to her becoming cursed one by one, shocked her so terribly that she couldn’t even ham up her emotions.

In comparison, Rainbow found herself at a loss for words. Although it had been only slightly over a year since she’d filed the paperwork to be Scootaloo’s mentor, the squirt had been the little sister Rainbow never had and it could be said learning of Scoot’s fate hurt Rainbow even more than what Rarity was going through. She was the Element of _Loyalty_ for Celestia’s sake, but she’d-

_No,_ thought Dash, her distress slowly boiling into a blistering hot anger, _I will_ not _fail her, I will_ not _let my little wingpony down!_

“Uh, Rainbow, are you okay?” asked Lightning. For all the time she’d spent around Rainbow since coming to Ponyville, she’d never seen Dash get _this_ angry.

“No, I’m _not_ okay!” shouted Dash, “we’ve done nothing but talk and talk in here while Fair Vista’s been doing who knows _what_ to our little sisters, so I don’t care what you all decide to do but _I’m_ going out there with or with- **AH**!” Rainbow suddenly felt her rear hooves be grasped by something, which subsequent examination showed they were now planted in the floor and held down by dark crystal.

“No, Rainbow, there’s a freakin’ _werewolf army_ in there, you’d be mincemeat well before you got close to the ruins!” pointed out Raspberry, much more firm in her voice than before. “As loathe as I am to say this, we _can’t_ send anypony into that hollow bastion who isn’t either already a werewolf or is otherwise able to survive…” a quick glance at Rarity, fully in shock at this point, inspired Razz to change her next few words, “…fatal wounds in critical areas of the body.”

“I’m down with that,” said Sandalwood, “as long as I can kill as many Fair Vistas as I want!”

“Easy, Sandy,” warned Applejack, not wanting to have to deal with a repeat of Sandalwood’s earlier incident. She then turned to Babs. “But until we can know that the fillies are safe, there is still the real chance they can be hurt by Fair Vista if any one of her bodies sees there is another pony or werewolf other than Bloomie and Ah, so Ah have to figure we’ll both need to somehow distract all the Fair Vistas and any other goon she’s got while the rest of y’all go and save the fillies. Though…” Applejack’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, “Ah don’t believe you explained how you managed to convince Fair Vista to let you go without bein’ bit or anythin’ Babs.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” said Babs, oblivious to AJ’s suspicions of her, “it was all Silver Spoon’s doing.”

“Uh, that doesn’t explain _anything_ ,” pointed out Pinkie.

Babs sighed. “Tiara…she’s pretty much lost it herself, she’s willingly serving Vista and everything as a werewolf, but Silver’s there against her will. When Silver was getting me outta there, she said that she was supposed to have bitten me and made me a werewolf, but she faked it to spare me. “

Lightning nodded an acknowledgement. “Alright, so we might have an ally on the inside, but that still doesn’t answer how we’re going to rescue Scoot or Sweetie.”

“I’ve been thinking about that, actually,” piped up Fluttershy. “Raspberry, how hot would you say Heliodor’s fire aura can get?”

“Uh…” Raspberry scratched her head, “I don’t have a real measurement or anything, but back when I was still making faked precious stones with dark crystals, he helped power the blast furnace I used to artificially pressurize the gems so they looked more like the real deal does with microscopic imperfections and such. Why do you ask?”

Fluttershy smiled. “Simple, Fair Vista only demands that Applejack and Apple Bloom be the ponies who go into the ruins. She said nothing about there being any retribution for there being, say, a fire breathing dragon and a fire breathing phoenix. To her, they’re just animals-

**“HEY!”** exclaimed Spike, who had been running around and serving minor refreshments to all the ponies, “who’s calling me an animal? I was only a dog on the _other_ side of the mirror thank you very much!”

“Easy, Spike,” laughed Twilight.

“As I was saying,” continued Fluttershy, “we could get the fillies free from wherever they’re being held captive – I’m guessing they’re in the old dungeon cells or something, so they’re prevented from leaving by the old iron bars – if the lock holding their cell or cells closed was simply melted off. Spike or Heliodor alone would probably take forever to do it, but together…”

“It wouldn’t take much time at all!” finished Apple Bloom, jumping into the air with glee. “We might actually have a chance to save everypony!” Her ears then drooped. “Well, from Vista, at any rate, not the lycanthropy.”

“We’ll handle that when we’re done with the bitch who took ma and pa, “ answered Applejack, though she was probably a little _too_ happy at ending all the werewolf nonsense again. “Ah’m guessin’ you got a full plan in your head, Fluttershy?”

The pegasus nodded. “Uh-huh, but it’s going to put you and Apple Bloom in danger, possibly more than you’ve ever been in before.”

“Fluttershy, Sable Loam wanted me to basically _become_ Fair Vista. Compared to that, the fact she wants to just kill me and Bloomie is nothin’ in comparison. But time is against us, so we need to get this underway as soon as possible.”

* * *

Two hours later, Fair Vista lay on her chest, watching the main entrance of the ruined castle, lying in wait. She knew her prey would come. She knew they had no choice.

“So…” said Tiara, obviously trying to start conversation. Her dedication and loyalty were indispensable, but she had much to learn if she was to be Vista’s right paw wolf.

“So _what?_ ” snapped Vista, figuring it was going to be some stupid question.

“What was he like? Sable Loam, I mean?”

The question caught Vista by surprise, which brought a small smile to her face. While normally surprises were to be avoided, the small ones like this question did liven up things.

“He was, in a word: wonderful,” replied the Alpha, her eyes glossing over slightly as she allowed herself to get lost in her memories. “Back when I was still trapped by the restrictions imposed upon me, a mare born in a society where I was nothing but a homemaker, where I had no ambitions to follow and life was the same day-in and day-out, Sable Loam was my savior.”

“By…turning you into a werewolf?”

“Uh-huh. The day he broke into what had been my prison of a home, he was the breath of fresh air I needed, the thing that saved me from drowning in the monotony that had been life. The wild, unrestrained ferocity he radiated was unlike anything I’d ever seen at the time…it helped he was also considerably much hotter than my former husband had ever been.”

“You were married before you partnered with Sable?”

“Regrettably, along with having a filly. I do not remember the names of either, but in truth I don’t care. All I know is that they were just two more shackles in my life as a pony, shackles I gladly cast off to enjoy the freedom that comes with being a werewolf. Plus, I-“

“Tiara, Vista!” cried out Silver, running up from behind the vantage point, “the Apples are here!”

“Huh, so they actually did show up?” grunted Tiara. “I didn’t think they had the spine.”

“Oh, on the contrary, I _knew_ they’d come,” smirked Vista. “After all, they just _have_ to save their little friends in the most brazenly dumb manner possible. Come along, you two, time to tie up some loose ends.”

“Are you sure about this, sis?” ventured Apple Bloom, “Ah mean, Ah’m totally with you in rescuin’ Sweetie, Scoot, and Silver, but…”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s probably a trap of some kind,” grumbled Applejack. “But it’s like Ah said earlier, until we can get the upper hoof, we gotta play by her rules. Besides, Ah actually do have a question or two Ah wanna ask her…”

The sisters didn’t say much else as by that point they’d passed under what was left of the castle’s main gate. While it hadn’t been mentioned _where_ exactly they were supposed to confront Vista, it seemed almost instinctive to the Apples that the showdown would begin in the ruined courtyard. Indeed, the second they entered it, their fur stood up on end.

“Ah, and here they are at last,” came the sing-song voice of Fair Vista, stopping short just as her eyes went wide. “Wow, you really _do_ look like me.”

“Considerin’ how your lover boy decided to try to make me your successor,” flatly replied Applejack, “that’s honestly old news.”

“As much as I do still love Sable, the idea that a wretch like _you_ could ever take my place in full is laughable. You’re one of the worst werewolves that’s ever lived!”

Applejack gritted her teeth, already elongating to sharp tips. “You make it sound like Ah had a choice, when Ah had no say in becomin’ a freak like you or him, just like how you didn’t give mah folks a choice when you turned _them_ into werewolves eleven years ago!”

“Is that why you killed Sable, because of some revenge-needing-dead-parent complex or something?”

“Actually…” interrupted Apple Bloom, “Applejack only really dealt the final blow, the one who actually did most of the butt-whuppin’ was a minotaur.”

“So you’re saying Iron Will is a _fraud_ , then?” came the haughty tones of Diamond Tiara, the pink werewolf emerging on the right side of Fair Vista. Her counterpart Silver Spoon then emerged from the left, though unlike the other two she did not smile or look at all happy. There was suddenly sounds coming from all around, a number of pink eyes suddenly illuminating the dark with their glow.

Applejack just rolled her eyes. “Alright, look, before you start throwin’ copies of yourself at us, Vista, Ah just want to know one thing.”

Vista raised an eyebrow. “And that would be…?”

“Why _mah_ parents? Ah need to know _why_ you decided to sentence mah parents to their fates as werewolves, why mah sister has to grow up when the only family she interacts with on a daily basis is her two older siblings and our grandmother.”

The green werewolf smirked. “Is that all? Fine. If you _must_ know, it was truly nothing personal. Sable was going to use these ruins as the base for his new werewolf army, and of course that army would need to be fed. Thus, we would need farmers to grow the crops to feed the pack. While regrettably I have to guess Sable killed them for being utter failures as werewolves in one way or another, it is fortunate you brought this matter up because I know _you_ are a farmer just as much as your parents.”

“Over mah dead body,” snarled Applejack, instantly shifting to canine form. Apple Bloom followed suit, ready to back up her older sister.

“Such heroic nonsense, commendable really but it’s not like that will get- **AH**!” Vista’s taunting was suddenly interrupted by something having ambushed her and sinking its fangs into her throat. Some violent swinging managed to free her neck, but not before the incisions went deep enough that it was a struggle just to breathe without both raspiness and making the bloody wounds bleed more profusely than they were already.

At the same time, Silver Spoon got up from where she was tossed, which happened to be right in front of the Apples, and wiped the blood from her muzzle. “For Celestia’s sake, do you _ever_ shut up about how you are so much _better_ than everypony else because of your self-important werewolf _bullshit_?”

“Silver, what are you doing?!” shouted Tiara, aghast at her now once again ex-best friend had done, “Is constantly betraying your allies a hobby for you or something?!”

The gray werewolf just rolled her eyes. “Is it really such a bad thing when I betray the same ponies twice for the same reasons both times because I have moral standards?”

“Yeah, Silver, you’re such a bitch!” answered Apple Bloom with a grin, which in turn only got an _Are you serious?_ glare from the bespectacled traitor.

“She’s going to be a _dead_ bitch in a minute, just like the rest of you!” Vista finally had managed to say a complete sentence and with it she declared open hostility. Immediately the courtyard became an arena, a sea of identical Fair Vista clones, snarling and yapping at the trio now stuck in the middle.

“So, uh, I hope you guys had a plan, right?” asked Silver, worried she might have just become a liability.

“Of course!” replied Applejack. “We’re the distraction!”

“Huh?!” It had not been the response Silver had been hoping for, but there was no time for clarification as the mass of Fair Vista surged forward, the encirclement complete. As she frantically fought for her life, Silver now hoped that whatever this ‘plan’ was, it would save the Crusaders and stop Fair Vista, even if in the end she herself was lost in this carnage.

* * *

“Um, hello?” called out Sweetie. “Helloooooooo?”

“Hey, wolf-pony…thing!” added Scootaloo, “this is kind of important!”

The Fair Vista set in charge of guarding the cell, in the event the residents of Ponyville tried to mount a rescue operation, scowled as she glared back at the whelps in their pen. _“What?”_

Sweetie started dancing in place rapidly. “I _really_ gotta go potty!”

“So?”

“So?!” retorted Scootaloo, “You expect her to just do her business in here?”

“I don’t see why _not_ ,” the clone emphasized the last word, making it clear that she was not going to let the pair out no matter what.

“Because we don’t want to be stuck in a stinky, rotten, old toilet of our own filth?”

_Now_ the copy started having second thoughts. While she was simple minded enough that she had no qualms about being left out of the battle going on at the moment in the courtyard, she certainly was wary of having to be stuck guarding-

The train of thought the reflection had was interrupted by the sound of something in the area.

“Who goes there?!” barked the guard. No response, but instinctively she could feel the presence of another creature. “Clearly you have a deathwish, either for you or these pups, if you are still around here, but if that _is_ the case then show yourself! Now!”

The answer was…a squalk. Then, literally falling from the sky, a pink fleshy thing slammed into the ground. It picked itself up, albeit in a dazed state, but it was such a stupid looking bird…was it even a bird? No matter, it was a joke of a life form and the clone thought it funny.

“Well, looks like I get my dinner early!” The clone was pleased, moving slowly away from the gate towards the bird thing. Even though she was but a magical construction, she still needed to eat. However, hen she was right on top of the bumbling thing, there was a gleam in its eye and it suddenly shot _green_ fire in the face of the werewolf.

**“AAAAAAAHHHH!”** The Vista clone reared up on her hindpaws, the fires burning her face severely. She did not see the baby dragon sneak up from behind and bathe her in a different green fire, one that made her vanish from view altogether in a flash.

“Sp-Spike?!” squeed Scootaloo, “You’re here to save us?”

“Yeah!” answered the heroic drake, “me and Heliodor!” At the mention of his name, the sick birdie became enshrouded in a cloak of emerald embers, dispelling it shortly afterward to reveal he was still perfectly healthy.

“But what did you do with the guard?” asked Sweetie, who no longer needed to use the bathroom. It had only been an attempted ruse, anyway.

“She went on a trip,” cryptically replied Spike, readying alongside Heliodor to melt the lock off.

* * *

The Vista clone materialized in mid-air only to fall to the ground with a large thud. Her face had been nearly burned off and now she had no clue where she was. But she was well aware of her not being alone.

“Hello, there,” snarked Daffodil, motioning with a bat wing to a group of her charges to ready their lances, “and goodbye.”

“Oh, _buck_ me” said the doomed clone.

* * *

“Wow, you guys can melt metal?” asked Scootaloo, astonished.

“Well, yeah, we breathe _fire_ , kind of a given isn’t it?” nonchalantly replied Spike, the phoenix hovering just above to his right nodding in agreement.

“Well, thanks for rescuing us!” squeaked Sweetie, “but what are we gonna do about the other werewolves? There’s gotta be like, a bazillion other Fair Vista copies along with the original, and then there’s Diamond Tiara who is just as bad as Vista!”

“Don’t worry, we planned for that,” answered Spike, who produced a raspberry beryl gemstone out of nowhere. “Heelee? It’s all on you, bro.”

Heliodor cawed acknowledgement, taking the gem in his talons, then with a mighty flapping soared into the sky. He didn’t stop until he was as high as the tallest remaining spire of Castle Everfree, at which point he threw the precious stone into the air. The red gem caught the moonlight, sending rays of the dark red color all over the ruins, before gravity pulled it back down and smashed it right in front of Fair Vista. The _real_ Fair Vista.

“What the-?!” yelped the werewolf, causing her clones to all immediately look in her direction in worry that their template was in danger. It was momentary, however, for then there was a subsequent honking noise at the base of the ruins, followed by various howls and cries.

“Keep fighting, you fools!” shouted Vista, retreating as her copies surged forward again. The true Alpha ascended to her vantage point from before, only to see a terrible sight.

There, illuminated by the light of some strange wheeled contraption themed on apples, were reinforcements for Applejack and Apple Bloom. Surrounded by dead werewolves, Vista recognized the werewolf pegasus from Nightmare Night, along with a tan pony who seemed to be holding back for some reason (was she the one the clones she’d send to capture those young ponies had reported to her as the bitten one?), ready to move on and attack. Behind the truck, the forms of guardsponies could be seen darting out of sight, probably surrounding the entire ruin to ensure no werewolf escaped. But most worryingly was the unicorn in front of it all: the one with the purple haze around her horn.

“Pity you aren’t here, love,” whispered Vista. She knew this situation was bad; it was almost certain her trump card of having those two fillies in her grip had been undone, hence that damn phoenix lighting up the whole place with that gem as a signal. Somehow, despite there being almost a thousand of her, the almost insignificantly small trio of werewolves were holding their own. And now not only were two more enemy wolves joining the battle, but so was the _one_ non-lycanthrope who Fair Vista had really, really hoped would not have gotten involved. And unlike the last time they fought in these same ruins, there was no escape as the guards were all around the perimeter. Sable would have loved the thrill of having to fight to his last breath in these circumstances, but the same could not be said of Fair Vista. But, even if she wasn’t going to make it, she would at the very least get revenge on the Apples for having killed Sable. It was what she’d set out to originally do and to her last breath she would ensure she at least avenged the greatest werewolf who ever lived.

But as she slunk back into the shadows to lie in wait, she was going to ensure it was on _her_ terms.


	58. Book2 Ch.33 Nightmare Fiction

Rise of the Furball Chapter 33: “Nightmare Fiction”

  


Normally, the sheer numbers being pitted against the ponies who sought to stop Fair Vista would have determined their fate to be utterly eviscerated by the mirrored army. However, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Silver Spoon had been able to hold their ground, albeit barely, simply because of how simple minded the Fair Vista clones were. They were dangerous, that much was obvious, but they were truly of a pack mentality and didn’t adjust to sudden changes in the situation at hoof. In comparison, the three non clone werewolves were much more capable of simply fighting defensively and so their better reactivity countered the sheer numerical disadvantage.

But even with their boosted werewolf endurance, they weren’t going to be able to keep up the fighting forever.

“How many clones did she _make_ , anyway?!” shouted Silver, bucking a Vista square in the face before rolling to dodge two others making swipes at her.

“Ah dunno, Ah lost count!” shouted back Apple Bloom, who was using what she could recall from those martial arts sessions with Rainbow Dash, back before the CMC had been formed, in combination with her claws to always be on the offensive while moving, never giving the enemy a chance to land a blow.

“This would be so much - *UNH*- better if we had Twilight and that mirror spell of hers!” added Applejack, putting all of her might into double bucking into a packed group of Fair Vista clones, sending them flying every which way.

“Hey, leave some for us!” suddenly came the voice of Lightning Dust, who subsequently swooped down and promptly used her aerial superiority to cause all kinds of new havoc, sending clones flying with miniature tornadoes.

“What she said!” followed Sandalwood’s voice, as the tan pony galloped into the fray and just started punching and kicking everything she could. Unlike Lightning, who disconcertingly had taken to being in her wolf form a little too much, Sandalwood was determined to avoid using that form at all costs and wanted to prove she was a pony who could still hold her own in a fight. Though the fact her lycanthropy made it easier to withstand the return damage occasionally inflicted by one clone getting in a lucky shot was certainly something she wasn’t going to argue.

But most shocking was when all the clones suddenly stopped upon detecting a _third_ newcomer, taking one look at her, then running off into the shadows to try and avoid her wrath. As all the werewolves left in the courtyard turned to see, Raspberry Beryl casually walked forward with her eyes emitting purple haze and her horn enshrouded by the purple mist of dark magic.

“Girl, you musta whupped Fair Vista’s plot something _hard_ the last time you met, if her clones seem to remember how dangerous you can be!” commented Sandalwood.

Raspberry shrugged. “Not like normal ponies wouldn’t run for the hills if they saw me like this anyway.”

“True.”

“Alright, somepony want to fill me in on what’s going on?” asked Silver Spoon, before her glasses suddenly became surrounded by a black aura and flew up from her face. “Hey, what gives?”

“One sec, please,” said Raspberry, evidently casting some kind of spell. It was brief, for a few seconds later Silver got her glasses back, this time good as new with the broken side looking just as pristine as the other. “I figure you might want to have full vision if possible, no?”

“Uh, yeah, thanks!” Silver smiled, happy to not be partially blindsided anymore. “But my question still stands.”

“Yeah, apologies for not tellin’ you earlier, but there wasn’t any time to explain,” answered Applejack. “But really, we were just here to distract Fair Vista and her cronies away from wherever they were holdin’ Scoot and Sweetie. Heliodor and Spike went to go save them.”

“But how? There was a guard!”

“Guard shmard!” laughed Raspberry. “I know my Heelee, he can handle himself against a werewolf. And I suspect Spike has one or two tricks of his own.”

“But now that the Vistas are scattered, we need to find those fillies.” Said Lightning. “While I’m sure Helidor and Spike can help protect them, it won’t take many Vistas to overwhelm their protection, so we need to hurry.”

“I suggest we form three groups. Applejack and Apple Bloom, Lightning and Sandalwood, and then you’re with me, Silver,” suggested Razz. “With two capable mares, we should be able to handle ourselves.”

“B-but you’re not a werewolf…” pointed out Silver, concerned for Raspberry’s sake.

“Oh, Ah wouldn’t worry about Raspberry,” said Apple Bloom, “after all, she took on Fair Vista by herself and saved mah life.”

* * *

“You’re _sure_ Applejack and the others are around here, looking for us?” asked Sweetie, cautiously.

“That’s what the plan _was_ , at least when Fluttershy explained it,” answered Spike. He, Sweetie, Scootaloo, and Heliodor upon the phoenix’s return, were trying to navigate their way through the dark enclosures that formed the basement of Castle Everfree. As Heliodor’s original route out of the dungeons was a hole in the ceiling, through which he was not strong enough to individually lift any of the three ground bound members of the group, they were forced to find an alternative exit. Because they couldn’t light a torch – which would have been a luxury given that they didn’t have one – or have the path lit up by either fire breather without risking detection, it was up to the werewolves to lead the way because of their improved night vision.

“Figures we’re stuck doing _this_ instead of having already been on our way to the perimeter all because of me,” Scootaloo moped.

“What are you talking about?” asked Sweetie in a whisper, before remembering the obvious. “Oh, right, you’re a pegasus. But even if you could…um…you know, ‘that’, we all still couldn’t make it out. Heliodor is barely strong enough to lift Spike, there’s no way you would be strong enough-“

“Yeah, just remind me why I can’t fly, why don’t you?!” snapped Scootaloo, tears starting to form in her eyes.

“ _Shhhh!_ ” hushed Spike, finger to his mouth.

“Oh, right, sorry.” Apologized Scoot.

“Scootaloo, is…is there something you need to get off your chest?” Sweetie had to wonder how long Scootaloo had been keeping this hidden. Everypony knew that there was _something_ wrong with her, given that she had such difficulty in using her wings to stay aloft for any amount of time when other pegasus ponies who were younger than her already had mastered liftoff and landing. Previously, she always tried to dodge the question whenever she was asked, _especially_ if it was Apple Bloom or Sweetie doing the asking.

“N-no…” the orange werewolf lied, knowing full well the unicorn, the dragon, and the phoenix didn’t believe her for a second. Oddly, Heliodor suddenly took off from his perch on the old torch mount on the wall, flying a short distance forward before taking a hard left and disappearing from view. He then banked right into a circle such that the non-avians could see the doorway.

“I think he wants us to follow him,” said Spike. Acknowledged with nods by the werewolves, the three followed the bird. The room the phoenix had found was quite large and, in contrast to their previous location, well lit thanks to openings in the ceiling that seemed purpose built to let in light, whether it be from the sun or the moon. Heelee himself had taken a perch on the right side of an ancient pipe organ – why there was a pipe organ wasn’t exactly clear – and seemed to be gesturing to a small corner just under his vantage point.

“Do we really need to do this?” whined Scootaloo. Her answer was the phoenix nodding impatiently and emphasizing the gesture to the spot under his perch.

“C’mon, Scootaloo,” prodded Sweetie, “you need to say your piece, and it’s just us three. Or do you not trust us?”

“No, no, it’s not that,” relented Scootaloo, walking slowly over to the little hideaway near Heliodor before plopping down on her butt. “It’s…It’s…” Her whole body was trembling at this point, but she sighed in defeat, knowing there was no point in hiding it any longer. “It’s because I was born a cripple.”

Confusion was all she saw on the faces of the trio looking at her. “No, seriously, what’s eating at you, Scoot?” asked Spike.

“I _am_ serious!” retorted the pegasus, “nopony really notices since all anypony sees is just my wings, which while below the average size for wings of my age, aren’t the reason why I can’t fly though they sort of contribute. In truth, I’ve got what’s called ‘muscular dystrophy’ due to a birth defect.”

“Muscular dystru-wha?” repeated Sweetie, struggling with the unusual word.

“Don’t worry about it, all you need to know is that it’s some medical term given to describe muscles that didn’t form correctly before I was born. It’s only in my flight muscles, but they’re naturally always going to be weaker than they should be. I have to work them harder just to accomplish lift off, so combined with my small wings not giving me nearly enough surface area to generate thrust, I literally am no better than a chicken!” The tears were starting to fall now, with the dam looking like it was going to burst.

“But you’re not!” retorted Sweetie, “I know flying is a big deal for you since you idolize Rainbow Dash, but your wings are still far from useless, and you know it! On your scooter they’re your means of going faster than anypony else can, as they seem to generate more than enough ‘thrust’ or whatever that is, and you’re still the most athletic of all the crusaders!” The tiny werewolf unicorn moved back to stand atop the pipe organ’s bench like a soapbox, her rant continuing; “If there’s any one of us that has a right to complain about not doing what they’re supposed to, it’s _me!_ After all, you’re not the one who has a _bone_ sticking out of her head that has absolutely no purpose since just as you can’t fly, I can’t do magic!”

Scootaloo was stunned, having admittedly never realized Sweetie’s own birthright as a unicorn not having been developed by now was far worse than her wings just being too weak to lift her. “I…I never thought of it that way…”

“Yeah, maybe you’re just both late bloomers?” suggested Spike. “Twi’s always been a magic prodigy, nopony can argue that, but few ponies actually know she struggled to do more than levitate things until the day of that magic entrance exam where she hatched me.”

“Wait, how could you know that if that was when you were born?” asked Sweetie.

“Simple, Twilight told me. But you guys gotta keep it on the down low, ‘kay?”

The two crusaders nodded, along with Heliodor, with some much needed confessionals having been said. However, it was at that exact time that Lightning and Sandalwood found the three younglings and the bird.

“There you are!” exclaimed Sandalwood, thankful that she didn’t need to keep going around the old castle any longer and risk getting attacked by hiding Fair Vistas. Her lack of tact in suddenly announcing her presence shocked the foursome, however, with Sweetie toppling from the bench and the back of her head hitting the first row of keys on the pipe organ. The ancient instrument reasoned with a loud, deep, reverberating echo that sent a chill down the spines of every pony all the way out to the perimeter of the ruins.

“Uh oh…” said Lightning, immediately turning around in anticipation of an ambush. “Something tells me that is _not_ a good sign…”

* * *

As the deep tones of the organ echoed through the ruins, Apple Bloom suddenly found herself on unstable ground as part of the hallway suddenly flipped in towards the wall, causing the filly to go with it into a secret passageway. It was all she could do to scream before she found herself be pulled down by gravity into a chute defined only by touch.

**“APPLE BLOOM!”** shouted Applejack, immediately rushing to where her sister had been only to find the wall and floor perfectly flush as to suggest it was all as much one piece as it looked. A frantic minute had the farmer look for any way of manually opening the secret door to no avail. “Hold on, Apple Bloom, Ah’ll find ya!” called out Applejack, hurriedly running down the hallway in the hopes of locating wherever Apple Bloom would end up. _If_ there was another end. The elder sister didn’t want to think about the situation if Apple Bloom was now trapped in the walls.

Apple Bloom, for her part, was hurled into the darkness in every direction imaginable and got more than a little green in the face from the ride. As far as she knew, it was like she was travelling down some kind of secret slide, though how it had been triggered such that she – and only she – was its first passenger in a millennia made the idea this was something created purely for amusement quite ludicrous.

Fortunately, the “slide” did have an ending, though rather an abrupt one, as AB only just noticed the box of light she was heading towards before going through said box and being sent flying out of a wall to land rather awkwardly in a new room. Groggily, she got up, then had to hurry over to one of the windows open to the outside to void her latest dinner. It had been heavily loaded with something Pinkie had come up with to simulate the taste of those bacon flavored dog biscuits, which had somewhat helped with the hunger pangs but evidently it didn’t sit well if not digested fully.

“Ah _really_ don’t wanna be a werewolf anymore…” moaned Apple Bloom, still feeling nauseous after all the activity and having to sit down lest she need to give up the previous night’s dinner, too. As she waited for her stomach to settle, she noted she was in what looked like some kind of throne room. Castle Everfree had once been known as “The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters” at some point in the past, reflected in how there were two thrones still standing in perfect symmetry at the far end opposite of Apple Bloom. Above the thrones were a tapestry, one colored such to be invocative of sunshine, and the other the dark mysteries of the night, though the latter was notably in almost pristine condition compared to how parts of the former had been torn from its faded threads. Running down the middle of the far end was a smashed podium of sorts, from which a large hairline crack ran up the wall to a giant hole punched through to the outside, inside which was framed Luna’s bright moon, which as far as Apple Bloom knew was left in its ‘full’ brightness by request of Twilight such that it would give as much possible illumination to the events now happening in the ruins.

“You know, had I been born in time to see the rise of Nightmare Moon, I probably would have joined the New Lunar...whatever it was called,” echoed the voice of Fair Vista, evidently fully healed from her earlier injury. “Even as a pony who was blissfully unaware of this far superior life of a werewolf, I never was a fan of the day.”

“It’s _over_ , Vista,” snarled Apple Bloom, turning to see what a less informed pony would believe to be a recolored version of Applejack, sans hat…and evidently sanity. “You’ve done enough to hurt Equestria, to hurt Ponyville, to hurt mah friends and family.”

“Oh, there will _never_ be enough!” cackled Fair Vista. As if in response, a crack of lightning erupted from the dark storm overhead, momentarily turning all views of the outside into nothing but featureless white, alongside a deafening crack of thunder. “You Apples took from me my Sable Loam, my destined love, and while I have come back to finish what he started, it will never be enough because he can not come to see his work finished!’

“What work? All you’ve done is just clone yourself a buncha times and turn a couple of defenseless fillies into monsters!”

“Huh. And here I thought you, of all former ponies, would understand that’s not true,” commented Tiara, whose exact location Apple Bloom couldn’t pinpoint before getting broadsided with a headbutt from the prissy pink one. “Ironic, isn’t it? You started this whole mess by making me hate your guts for being a werewolf, yet now you probably hate mine because I’m a better one than you! Funny how-“ There was barely enough time to react for Tiara, as she moved just in the nick of time before Apple Bloom involuntarily vomited again, this time needing to roll over onto her stomach while propping herself up, as she couldn’t make it to the window in time.

“Sorry,” apologized Apple Bloom, more out of habit than actual sincerity, “musta been somethin’ Ah ate…”

“Sorry nothing!” fumed Tiara, “you just killed all the dramatic tension I had going! Do you _have_ to ruin everything I try to do to humiliate and defeat you?!”

“No, that’s _my_ job!” Now it was Diamond Tiara’s turn to get headbutted, this time by Silver Spoon, only the descendant of the Silver family paranormal hunters did it far harder. It was enough to send both fillies toppling out of one of the windows. In fact, it was the _same_ window Apple Bloom had been bent over a few minutes ago to safely dispose of her undigested foodstuffs.

“Silver Spoon!” exclaimed Bloomie, rushing to the window. She stopped midway, realizing she was leaving herself open for Fair Vista to attack, this time of all times being the worst as now Vista had no reason to keep her alive. But, as AB assumed a defensive stance, she saw Sable Loam’s mate was too focused on something else.

“My, you just can’t stay away, can you?” taunted Vista, evidently not remembering the events of last time. “Not having enough fun knowing every single thing you do is against the law of this corrupt land just because of who you are descended from and nothing else?”

“Heh,” smirked Raspberry, standing from above on a balcony. “I actually would say being given a life sentence like the one I must serve marks the dawn of my brighter tomorrow.” A small leap had Raspberry take the quick way down, the unicorn deftly landing on all four hooves. “And the end of your past-welcome life!”

“Hypocritical words, coming from one whose only power comes from the king of shadow himself, no?” At this point, Raspberry and Fair Vista had started to walk in a circle, Apple Bloom taking advantage of being forgotten entirely by hiding behind some rubble, offering a ringside seat of the inevitable battle.

“I’m not a power monger, I understand what makes magic evil in nature is not the magic itself, but how it is used.”

“Uh-huh. I’m not an idiot, I know _why_ that apple farmer who looks so much like me wanted to kill Sable Loam. She must have heard that old legend of how ‘killing the werewolf who turned you’ supposedly would remove this blessing, but you know just as well as I do that it’s all a bunch of hooey. It only makes it become dormant, but merely being around anything associated with dark magic reactivates it. Considering how you _reek_ of your ancestor’s blood and its magic, I bet you merely just _sneezed_ at Applejack and turned her back into a werewolf, didn’t you?”

“Hey, at least I’m not the one Sable Loam tried to replace because he was thinking about his loins ever since you died!” snapped back Razz, though she didn’t like how Vista seemed to know how to push her buttons this time. She also didn’t like how it was so easily felt in the ways her disguise was slipping, already her fangs were starting to lengthen and press against her lower lip.

Worse, Fair Vista noticed as well. “My, are those _fangs_? Do you mean to tell me you actually _did_ end up a werewolf as well? It must be hard for you to have all the power of your ancestor who created lycanthropy in the first place, except you and those other ponies who have since become werewolves yourselves will rot away because you just can’t handle being the top dog race like those Apple brats.”

“No, I _don’t_ have lycanthropy, because then if I did then I could have _some_ hope of curing who I am!” With an unearthly wail, Raspberry dropped her disguise, letting her horn’s true shape emerge alongside her dark colors and the wispy trails of her dark magic being brought forward. “But there is _no_ cure for having been molded in Sombra’s image, so it is all I can do to ensure I am the _only_ thing that can be claimed to be his legacy!” The dark unicorn then charged Vista with determination and purple mist in her eyes, making the resurrected werewolf once again feel the grip of morality as they met in combat once again.

* * *

“C’mon!” shouted Sandalwood, forcing herself to stay ahead of the pack of werewolves and phoenix while she grudgingly allowed Spike to ride on her back. Applejack had stumbled upon them – sans Apple Bloom – after they’d shortly left the room with the pipe organ. Apparently, Apple Bloom had triggered something (the connection between the pipe organ going off at the exact same time as Apple Bloom’s vanishing act never occurred to anypony) that had separated her from Applejack, and now the race was on to try and find the wayward filly. Unfortunately, it was almost a sure bet that, somehow, Apple Bloom was in the middle of whatever was going on around the middle of the castle, where the throne room would be.

“We better grab her and get outta here!” exclaimed Lightning, Scootaloo upon her back, “Whatever the Everfree is doin’ with that storm, it’s getting agitated if I’m reading those cloud movements correctly!”

“You girls go on ahead, Ah’m not leavin’ without Apple Bloom!” said Applejack, apparently forgetting Sweetie Belle was currently on her back. “Fair Vista’s already done more damage to mah family with Sable’s help than Ah think can ever be fully healed, if she gets Apple Bloom then…then Ah don’t know if mah family can survive a blow like that!”

Just then, Heliodor came swooping around a corner, frantically trying to get somepony’s attention. Upon doing so, he led the group a short distance away where Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara lay.

“Silver!” exclaimed Sweetie and Scoot, dismounting their werewolves and rushing to their compatriot’s side, “are you alright?”

“Ow! Yeah, considering I just tackled my ex-best friend out of a window currently above us,” answered the gray filly, trying to point up to the throne room, “I think I’m alright aside from a broken bone or two.”

“And Tiara?” asked Spike, “Is she…”

“Hah! As if. I think I knocked her out cold following our landing, she won’t be posing a problem to us anymore.” Behind Silver was the unconscious form of Diamond Tiara, remarkably back to the recognizable form of a pony though her coat and mane/tail hairs were still a complete mess. Her namesake tiara also had been knocked off, landing rather unfortunately in what looked like a half-digested dinner. Silver paid it no mind. “Raspberry Beryl’s still up there, probably fighting Fair Vista again to protect Apple Bloom.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” sighed Applejack. While she would not be fully relaxed until she could hold her baby sister in her forelegs again, right now Razz was the only pony AJ knew who could keep that insane werewolf at bay. “C’mon, we gotta get you and Diamond to the guards, you need medical treatment.” A slight gust of wind brushing past her right ear prompted AJ to look up and see Heliodor rapidly gaining altitude to rejoin his mistress. _It’s up to you, Raspberry_ , thought Applejack, _you’re the only one who can stop her_.

* * *

**“GWAAAAHHH!”** screamed one of the combatants, though at that point Apple Bloom didn’t know who was doing more of the screaming. Even though by nature Raspberry Beryl was not at all a violent pony, she seemed to have a disturbingly good idea of how to fully utilize her body’s traits to be a lethal weapon. In addition to her already formidable dark magic, her horn itself was purpose-formed to be used as an impalement weapon (as her father had found out in a very personal manner) and her fangs were just as sharp as Fair Vista’s, for more than once the unicorn resorted to using Vista’s own tactics against her by digging her teeth into the werewolf’s body.

At the same time Fair Vista was truly giving it her all. Her years of experience as a predator, mixed with the insanity brought on by having to possess her own mirrored copy, combined with more easily utilized weapons on all four of her paws as evidenced by the numerous cuts she kept carving into Razz, allowed her to pose a far greater challenge than ever before. Additionally, she still had the race advantage of being an earth pony, which boosted with lycanthropy meant she was both physically stronger and had more endurance than her unicorn opponent, and her jaw strength was enough to snap bones in addition to driving her fangs in deep.

Such was the situation Raspberry found herself in when, after a good fifteen minutes of the two lashing out at each other and dealing unnaturally gruesome amounts of damage to each other, enabled only by both of them having unnaturally high regenerative abilities, Fair Vista had managed to maneuver around and grabbed her left rear leg’s gaskin in her jaws. With malicious joy, the werewolf bit down as hard as she could, crushing the most important load-bearing part of Razz’s leg while simultaneously tearing through her flesh as the fangs dug down to the muscle tissue.

**“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”** screamed Razz, her abnormal healing not doing anything to stop the unimaginable pain of her leg’s middle section getting crushed like a cardboard box while oozing blood profusely. It got worse when suddenly Vista began to swing the crippled unicorn, leg still in her jaws, around and around in a circle before throwing her body against a wall with a loud *THUD* before the pulverized unicorn slumped to the ground, her left leg looking every bit like a broken chew toy that it had just been.

“Is that all?!” demanded Vista, wild with bloodlust as she wiped away Razz’s blood, remembering what happened the last time the unicorn’s blood was allowed to pool and settle. “Is that the best I can get from the pony who inherited the legendary powers of Kind Sombra?!”

Razz did not answer, or rather she couldn’t. The pain from her leg was mind numbing, but right now she couldn’t let her magic do its thing and fix it. Not if what she was planning was going to work, if she was short even the tiniest bit of magic then it would all be for naught. But unless she got her chance soon, it wouldn’t matter anyway.

Taking the silence as an admittance of defeat, Vista felt the need to gloat. “HA! I thought as much, to think you caused me _so_ much trouble in the past, that you were the greatest thorn in my side, yet here you are laying before me like the worthless wretch that you always have been! Does it burn you up inside? No, not the pain, though I do hope that hurts, too, consider it payback for last time. But what I mean now is the fact you had Sombra’s power, you had the best chance of stopping whatever it is that created lycanthropy, but you have _failed_. Everypony you know who has been blessed with being a werewolf will die because they are not worthy, or learn to appreciate the gift they have been given as they become part of my pack. Of course, this comes as no surprise, spawn of Sombra, you’re a dark magic user, and no matter what ‘good’ your kind ever tries to do, it always ends badly for you and those you are fond of! AHAHAHAHAHA!”

_Do you_ ever _shut up?_ wondered Raspberry, the words not having their fully-intended effect partly because they were hardly unlike the things she’d been told all her life: how she wouldn’t be good for anything, that she was corrupted before birth because of her connection to Sombra, etc. But it was also partly because this was what Razz was waiting for; Vista thought she had won already so she was letting her guard down. She just needed a distraction and-

**“SCREEEEEEEE!”** cried out Heliodor, letting loose a torrent of flame down at Fair Vista, forcing the gloating werewolf to take evasive action and take her eyes off her enemy.

_I swear I love that damn bird like a brother,_ thought the unicorn, smiling at how once again her ever faithful pet had done exactly the right thing at the right time. Without hesitation, Razz pulled out one of the few tricks she’d managed to learn from Sombra’s books, and her body instantly dissolved into a black mist-like form that vanished into the shadows cast by the castle itself.

After a few minutes of vainly trying to catch the mocking phoenix, who had infuriatingly perched high on the balcony from where Raspberry had entered the room, Vista realized she’d let her enemy get away.

“I know you’re around here _somewhere_ , you damn, dirty demon!” shouted the enraged Vista, looking rapidly all over the place in vain.

_Oh, please, you think you’re the only creature who can hide in the shadows?_ echoed the voice of Raspberry Beryl, now with a touch of that evil reverberation in the vein of Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, and in a way of her own ancestor. _You may have been born in the shadows, but I trained in- wait, damnit, I said that wrong, hold on…_

Fair Vista and the hidden Apple Bloom were dumbfounded at how Raspberry was managing to do something no pony truly had ever done before, yet she insisted on saying a horribly cliché and cheesy line that she kept screwing up.

_Uh, yeah, is it trained and_ then _born? ‘You may have trained in the shadow, but I was shadow born’- ugh, sorry, I just gotta get this right…_

Fair Vista then became aware of a presence just behind her, a quick glance showing a pony-like shape forming from what could be described as shadow particles. “Enough of this charade!” screamed the werewolf, charing at the shape and clamping her jaws around the pony’s neck. She wildly swung the body around, snapping it back and forth, intent on silencing the annoying unicorn once and for all by ripping off her head. Finally, she did so, feeling the weight of the body go flying in one direction as the head and neck stayed in motion with the werewolf.

_Wait,_ realized Fair Vista, _why am I tasting…cardboard_?! Spitting out the “head”, she realized she had not just bitten off the head of who she thought she had, but instead all her attention had been focused on what had been a cardboard cutout of Twilight Sparkle. “Where does somepony even _get_ something like this?!” whined Vista, not knowing what to make of the situation.

“Oh my Celestia, you killed Cardlight Sparkle!” hollered Apple Bloom, “You _bitch!”_

“You’re nex-HURG!” The totally livid werewolf had made to turn to face where she’d known Apple Bloom had been the whole time, only to stop short when she felt something very warm and pointy pierce her chest right to her heart.

“No, _you’re_ next,” cooly replied Raspberry Beryl, who seemed to rise out of the ground, which had been in shadow and thus fully disguised her movements. At the same time, the impaled werewolf was raised up as well, her legs finding no traction in the air.

“You…think this will kill me?” said Vista, a droplet of blood running down the side of her mouth as Raspberry’s horn started to tear deeper into the bodily organ. “I’m still a ghost, you -*ACK* can’t kill a ghost! Not like this!”

“Oh, wanna bet?” snorted Raspberry. “You seem to forget dark magic doesn’t always play by the rules!”

“Y-you’re bluffing!”

“Not in the least! If a filly can see past the darkness of my magic to help ponies understand who I am, then there is a way to end this on _my_ terms, to end it all!”

With a loud wail, Raspberry’s eyes ignited in a bright purple light along with her horn. Simultaneously, the storm now swirling around Castle Everfree that was fueled by dark magic reacted as lightning came down from the heavens, through the hole in the wall left in the wake of Nightmare Moon’s creation, and struck Fair Vista. It was the second greatest display of dark magic in history, surpassed only by King Sombra’s terraforming of the Crystal Empire, but Raspberry was not subjugating an entire populace under her will. Instead, she was erasing one of Sombra’s few remaining legacies.

At the same time, Fair Vista couldn’t comprehend what was going on. She wasn’t exactly _dying_ but at the same time the unicorn she was impaled upon seemed to be doing _something_.

“You like being a wolf so much?” shouted Raspberry over the roar of the raging storm of dark magic she was at the helm of, “then _die as one!”_ This was the final attack Raspberry had been planning; a two-layer counterspell delivered straight into the heart of Fair Vista. Combining the dark magic versions of the fabled ‘age change’ spell and a specific custom spell of her own creation designed to amplify the werewolf curse within Vista such that her natural immunity to its corruption was neutered, Raspberry was doing more than cleaning Fair Vista’s clock; she was breaking it.

“Sa…Sable…” gasped the rapidly aging Vista, who was far more wolf like than ever by the second, before all the spinning stopped and she was thrown off of Raspberry Beryl’s horn. Gone was the young looking werewolf who had been just as dangerous as her mate had been, for in her place was a very old and frail looking wolf who didn’t appear anything like the pony once known as Fair Vista other than being unnaturally green. And it was only a minute or two later that the wolf slumped over, its heart having been pierced and the years Fair Vista had cheated death finally having caught up to her.

“That…was draining…” gasped Raspberry, before her eyes rolled up in her head and she fell sideways onto her right flank.

**“RAZZ!”** shouted Apple Bloom, racing to the fallen mare’s side with a worried Heliodor right beside her.

“I…I think I’m gonna need a cast...my leg still really hurts, ahahaha…” For somepony like Razz to try and laugh off the truly unreal amount of punishment she had just gone through, it was a testament to how much she had grown once ponies had accepted her, had believed in her.

“You’ll be okay, Razz,” comforted Apple Bloom, who had shifted to her normal pony form now that the danger was eliminated. “Ah had to wear a large cast on mah leg mahself a few months ago. It sucked, but at least you can say it’s a battle wound. All Ah did was accidently give mahself a pretty bad cut. Oh, and thanks for savin’ me. Again.”

“Y’know, Apple Bloom,” said Razz, already regaining some strength, “I’m wondering if my cutie mark is wrong and that it really should just be a picture of your head in front of a shield, since this rescuing thing is becoming a little too common, y’know?”

The two ponies laughed, with Heliodor soon joining in. All around the ruins, the still living duplicates of Fair Vista didn’t react to suddenly winking out of existence, the bodies of both the living and the dead clones all turning back into magic energy and shooting off into the sky, returning to the Mirror Pool near Baltimare from whence they came.

Back in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle watched from the balcony of Golden Oaks as the magic residue of the Fair Vista clones shot into the sky, through the gigantic dark magic stormclouds which already were breaking up.

“Corporal Skyracer?” called the princess to the interior of Golden Oaks, the summoned guard leader instantly at her side.

“You summoned me, princess?”

“Please, now that the werewolf problem posed to Ponyville has been dealt with, you should go to the ruins to check in with Corporal Daffodil and make sure everypony gets back.”

“Right away, your highness, anything else?”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Actually, yes. Have Raspberry Beryl come see me at her earliest convenience. I suspect she will have learned something that can allow us all to finally lay werewolves to rest as nothing but mere legends in the pages of young pony horror novels."


	59. Book2 Ch.34 Finally a Brighter Tomorrow

Rise of the Furball Chapter 34; “Finally a Brighter Tomorrow”

  


“Hnnnnng!” Raspberry sucked in air with a hiss, enduring the pain her injured leg was radiating. It was to be the last laugh for Fair Vista, in that due to the severity of the injury to her hind leg having been denied immediate magic healing until well after Fair Vista had been dealt with, and how burnt out Raspberry had been at the time, the fact she hadn’t needed her leg amputated in the end was thanks to the rapid response of Royal Guard medics applying battlefield triage until she could safely be transferred to Ponyville General’s Emergency Room. Over the past two weeks, she’d been stuck in a hospital bed under orders by Twilight, the rest of the elements in a show of their power as her “wardens”, all the doctors, and everypony else who thought she hadn’t been reminded of her lower left leg still being attached to her body by tendons thinner than a toothpick.

What had made the stay at Ponyville General even more awkward was that because she put every last drop of magic she recharged while bedridden into healing her wounds, there was nothing to put into her ‘true’ colors disguise and so there was more than one instance where her elongated horn caused somepony to freak. But now, after her magic had recharged enough for her passive regeneration to kick in, her leg wasn’t going to fall off if hit by a stiff breeze now that the bone and tissue had healed…mostly. As it was, her muscles couldn’t heal the scars left by Fair Vista’s teeth, leaving her left leg forever weakened slightly. Back in Sombra’s time, a pony would have been killed out of mercy due to the impossibility of them ever being able to walk again.

But as Razz grunted again, shifting herself to a more accessible orientation, she smiled at the device her magic levitated. Modern technology had answers to problems like hers, and while she would need it for the rest of her life, it was but a small price to pay for what she’d been able to do. Gingerly, the three-piece leg brace wrapped itself around the still scarred middle joint of Raspberry’s left leg, before closing and the clips snapping into place, ready for testing.

“Alright, are you ready?” asked Nurse Redheart, positioning herself to give support. It had taken the caregiver some time to acclimate to Razz’s unusual appearance, much like the rest of the medical staff when the mauled unicorn was carted into the ER, but after learning she was a princess it didn’t take long for first impressions to fade.

“Y-yeah, here goes!” said the unicorn, easing herself over the edge until she was sitting upright. First her right leg, thankfully still as good as ever and to support her weight. Her left…not so much, as she involuntarily let out a brief scream of pain as she put weight evenly on her legs for the first time in fourteen days.

“Easy, easy!” cautioned Redheart, immediately rearing to support the upper body of Raspberry, “you don’t want to put too much strain on it too soon!”

“I know, but no offense, Nurse, I’m no stranger to pain, I can-HNNNNNNGGGGGGG- _take it!”_

_“_ That may be, but even princesses must take the time to lick their wounds.”

Gradually, Raspberry was eased down with Redheart’s help until she was once again upright on all four hooves. Delicately, the unicorn walked forward with baby steps, testing out her new accessory. While it didn’t totally numb the pain, Razz wincing with every step she made with her left hindleg, the brace’s sliding and twisting in tune with her leg was like heaven, and it only increased as the rehabilitated mare started to prance around the room in a circle, the pain fading into nothing as both her leg and magic worked together to acclimate to the brace.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” asked Redheart, to which Raspberry nodded happily. The nurse smiled, happy herself to see another patient back on her hooves, especially one who she could easily tell had a long road still to go in terms of healing in ways other than just physical. “The brace is designed such that it will eventually allow you to walk around while supporting your own weight on your leg, but I’m afraid that doesn’t mean much more than allowing you to take it off safely to sleep or take a bath. Any time you’re mobile for even a short distance, like down a hallway, the brace will be needed or else you risk tearing the ligaments again.”

Raspberry stopped her trotting in circles to look face-to-face with the nurse. “I must confess; when I chose to prevent my leg from healing because I didn’t want to risk not having enough magic to stop the monster who threatened Ponyville, or more importantly the very filly who is the reason I am able to call this town home in the first place, I was prepared for the worst and would have been happy if I’d been stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. This leg brace is better than I could have hoped for…like everything that’s happened to me once the truth about me got out.”

Oddly, Redheart snickered. “Funny you should mention that. Did you take a closer look at your brace before you put it on?”

“Uh, no, was there more than just the black plastic and straps?”

“Well, yes, but now that I think about it, I’m not the pony who would be best suited to describe what really went into your new support.” Redheart then gave a sly wink that Raspberry had no idea how to interpet. Just then, Heliodor appeared at the room’s open window.

“Oh, there you are, Heelee!” said Razz, “I was worried when you didn’t come back around the time you usually do from your morning hunts.” As if in answer, Heliodor stretched forward one of his legs, which had tied to it a note. Raspberry took the note off and unrolled it to read. “Ah, I thought as much.”

“What?”

“It’s a summons to Golden Oaks, signed by Princess Sparkle herself.”

“She can’t possibly be serious!” Redheart firmly stated. “You _literally_ just got back on your hooves, after the state your leg was in it’s an absolute miracle you’re able to walk around half a month later without any aid other than the leg brace you now wear.” However, one hard look from Raspberry was enough to have Redheart back down.

“Nurse Redheart, I appreciate your concern, and if it hadn’t been for you and your colleagues I may have ended up more of a cripple than just needing an accessory. However, as you can see, I’m back on my hooves and off the bed. The latest miracle in a long series of miracles that I’ve been more that fortunate to have. But now it’s my turn to work miracles, to give back to the ponies who have given me so much…but I can only do it with Twilight’s help.”

An understanding gleam shined in Redheart’s eye as she smiled. “You may think I’m just flattering you, but a dedication to your fellow ponies like that truly is a trait of true nobility. Go, my lady, I’ll handle the paperwork, just…be careful, alright? Normally I recommend ponies go through some physical therapy once they’re at your stage, but then again, it’s just a brisk gallop to the center of town you’re seeking, no?”

“Thanks, Nurse. Alright, Heelee, let’s go make miracles.” The phoenix chirped happily, taking his place on Razz’s horn as she felt strong enough to don her brighter colors. Together, the pair left for the library with high spirits.

* * *

The great sun shone bright in the sky, but a pony who was not aware of that fact would have thought the sound reverberating from the middle of Ponyville meant another wild storm was approaching. But, as the dark powered unicorn entered the library, the dark interior suddenly was brought into light, with over a dozen ponies inside and all but one of them stamping their hooves in applause.

Within the library, Twilight had gathered all the ponies involved with the recent werewolf troubles. As it was, all the surviving werewolves were in attendance; including Diamond Tiara who was behaving the complete opposite of her usual self. The usual company Twilight kept was also there, along with Corporals Skyracer and Daffodil, who had wished to keep their respective units in Ponyville until they were sure that it was safe once again. The only pony who was absent was Lyra, citing her new job as an instrument repair pony and that she was trustworthy to keep the secret, given her involvement in the Sable Loam incident a year prior.

That was all Raspberry could figure from the brief second she had to survey the group, before Pinkie vanished from view only to make her presence known again by a massive side tackle hug that knocked Heliodor clean off his mount.

“YAYIMSOHAPPYTOSEEYOUAREBACKONYOURHOOVESRASPBERRY!” squealed Pinkie, squeezing the unicorn hard.

“OHCELESTIAMYLEG!” screamed Razz, Pinkie’s death grip having pushed her leg into a position where the brace couldn’t work and thus relieve the strain on the weakened muscles.

“Oh, sorry…” apologized Pinkie, immediately letting go, “It’s just that I’m so glad that meanie Fair Vista didn’t do any more lasting damage than to your leg, that I sort of forgot you just came from the hospital.

“D-don’t worry, Pinkie,” the unicorn winced as she repositioned her bad leg, pain still shooting pain in brief spurts, “compared to the two times Fair Vista’s jaw closed on my body parts, that was nothing.”

“Okey dokey, then! Does this mean we can throw you a ‘survived fighting a werewolf twice’ party now?”

“Not yet, Pinkie,” interjected Twilight, “even though Fair Vista has been vanquished and Ponyville no longer under immediate threat, we have one more business item to attend to.”

“How?” asked Sandalwood. “the only thing left to deal with is the fact about a third of the ponies in this tree have lycanthropy, and of them only _two_ aren’t going to eventually going to be forced to lose everything that makes us ponies in both body and mind.”

“Oh, great, I _totally_ forgot how much time I’ve got left,” realized Lightning, her ears drooping. “Though if I remember enough about how long it’s been since AJ and I fought…I’ll no longer be a pony by the end of the month.” The werewolf pegasus slumped onto her rear, involuntarily unfolding her wings while she gingerly petted one of their tips.

“And what about us?” inquired Silver, “Aside from Apple Bloom, are we fillies going to become simple wolves ourselves?”

“Great, now we’re _never_ going to get our cutie marks!” moped Sweetie.

“There, there,” babied Rarity, taking Sweetie into a one foreleg embrace. “There has to be some way to undo this…this crime done to all of you.”

“No…” mumbled Tiara, who didn’t even look up from the ground. “There isn’t a way. Fair Vista was very, _very_ adamant about how one of the ‘benefits’ of lycanthropy is that it was a gift that couldn’t be taken away, only given back to other ponies.”

“Well, with all due respect to Vista, which is to say no respect whatsoever,” voiced Raspberry with a smirk, “she wasn’t born as the direct descendant of the dark unicorn who invented the curse.”

“What are you sayin’, Razz?” asked Applejack, daring to hope for the impossible.

“I’m ‘sayin’ that for all lycanthropy is, it’s still just parasitic dark magic. All kinds of enchantments, hexes, and such cannot exist without there being one way to remove it, no matter how powerful they are made to be.”

“But Lycanthropy is more than just the typical run-of-the-mill magical punishment, when I tried to examine it with Lightning, I only ended up making things worse,” pointed out Twilight, cringing slightly as she glanced over to the fallen pegasus who was being comforted by Rainbow.

“No offense, Twilight, but if you understood as much about dark magic as I do, you would have known trying that without knowing exactly what to do would be like…like trying to pick a sensitive lock with a hairclip. Lycanthropy is complex purely because it needs to sustain itself long enough for it to be spread to a new host.”

“So, it’s in a way a woven tapestry?” suggested Rarity, “only far less admirable?”

“Yes, the components are very much woven together and unless pulled apart precisely, will have disastrous effects as what happened with Twilight and Lightning. However…” Raspberry's eyes grew bright in the way all the other ponies leaned forward in anticipation, “…because my last attack on Fair Vista involved me driving my horn right into her heart, I was able to directly see the curse and pick it apart while turning her into the wolf she had wanted to be.” She shrugged at the squeamish look her audience gave her. “Gruesome, I know, but along with being rightly deserved for what she did to my leg, I’d say it was better for me to understand the curse from as close to the original strain as I could get without having to harm any of you. Especially since it would be defeating the point of having worked out the cure – the _actual_ , honest-to-goodness, cure.

“W-will it work on all of us?” asked Apple Bloom, “Or just the ponies who aren’t related to that monster?”

“Let’s find out, shall we?” Raspberry’s words barely had any time to register to the others before the unicorn revealed her magic was far more recharged than she had let on, her horn enshrouded in dark purple bubbles and her eyes the thing of nightmares, as she cast a spell Twilight had only guessed she’d even begun to think of.

* * *

-The next day –

“Rainbow, where are you taking me?” shouted Lightning, struggling to keep up with her multi-colored counterpart.

“It’s a surprise!” was all the answer Rainbow gave back. But she didn’t leave Dust in the dark for long, as not long after did the clouds part and there, plain in sight, was the plateau of Wonderbolts Academy.

“Wh-what?” Dust was shocked, what _possibly_ could Dash have in store here? The green pegasus had been kicked out following her dishonorable actions and behavior, with every impression that she would never return, never have a chance to live her dream as a Wonderbolt.

So why was Spitfire apparently waiting for the duo in front of her office.

“Well, I can’t say I ever expected to see you again, Private Lightning Dust,” the Wonderbolt captain curtly said, apparently meant as some sort of greeting.

“That makes both of us, ma- wait, did you just call me a _private_? But I got kicked out! By _you_!”

Oddly, Spitfire smiled. “I’ll be inside once you’re done, Rainbow.” She then turned and entered the door, leaving a very confused Lightning at the doorstep.

“You might explaining this, Dash?” asked the not-sure-if-still-ex-or-not-Wonderbolt hopeful.

Rainbow gave a characterful smirk, before her expression changed to that of somepony who was about to express gratitude. “I’m not gonna lie, even though the tailspin your life went into after you got kicked out was totally your fault, I still felt more than a little guilty about it all.”

“I was a horrible pony back then, Dash, I deserved everything that came my way. You stopped me before I did something even more stupid and got more than just a hoofful of ponies hurt.”

“But that’s just it, that was you back _then_.” A blue hoof found its way onto a green shoulder. “The werewolf thing…well, on your terms that was still totally all your fault though nopony could have foreseen you actually getting cursed from that small brawl. But now that it’s all said and done, you’re a new mare, Dust. Goodness knows you put up with having to live with me for a few months, which must have been worse than our time in training here.”

“You kiddin’? I never made you for a neat freak. Your pad was _spotless,_ which is more than I can say for anything I did to that couch.”

“Exactly, for all that I kid around with Twilight for being so OCD all the time, I do _not_ like the place I live in being a mess. But it must have driven you crazy not to do…wolf things in my house.”

“Do not even get me _started_.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Thought so. However, the main reason why we’re here is because I owe you. Big time.”

“For what?”

“Scootaloo. Fair Vista grabbed her under my supervision and I couldn’t go rescue her, which is like letting a wingpony down. But you…you went in there and saved her. You proved you are wingpony material because you were there when I couldn’t because of the situation. And, as I said back when you first showed up in Ponyville, you deserve a second chance. So here we are, where everything went wrong.”

“A second chance…” repeated Lightning, “Is…is this for real?”

Rainbow laughed. “You heard the captain, _private_. They’ll ride you hard, probably harder given they most likely still remember you, but having one of the princesses vouch for you helped grease the wheels a bit.” She then was going to give a sly wink, but Dust beat her by charging forth in a giant Pinkie Pie style hug.

“You’re the greatest, Dash,” said Dust, muffled by her face buried in Rainbow’s neck while her tightly shut eyes were overflowing with tears.

“H-hey, now, don’t get me all sappy, I have a rep to keep up!” mock whined Rainbow, smiling all the while. Eventually she managed to pull Dust off of her neck. “Also, if you ever need someplace to crash, or just want to hang out – when you aren’t supposed to be here, mind you – sometime, just drop by Ponyville.”

“O-of course!”

“But in return, you gotta promise to not let me down, Dust. Someday we’ll be Wonderbolts together, but it’s on you to prove to Spitfire and all the others you’re just was worthy as me, got it?”

“Yes, ma’m!”

“Alrighty, then! I gotta get back to Ponyville, some of the stormclouds from you-know-what didn’t fully dissipate and as weather manager I need to handle the response, so I’ll be seeing you.”

The two wingponies batted wings together in a sign of their friendship, before Rainbow then took the opportunity to launch into the air off of the tarmac. As for Lightning, still teary eyed, she was still trying to understand how fortunate she was.

_And to think I originally blamed her for all my troubles,_ thought Dust, slowly waving after the fading afterimage of a rainbow streak, _but now she’s the reason I can keep my dreams alive._

* * *

Recess at Ponyville Elementary had, initially, looked like it was going to be another playground showdown between the Crusaders and Diamond Tiara, now that all the ruckus over whatever they’d been involved with (in the interest of minimizing public outcry, Fair Vista had been painted as an anarchist who had been obsessed with her own appearance to the point of painting trained wolves to look like her, all mention of lycanthropy stricken from official records given to the public). However, it was an air of disappointment when Diamond Tiara merely walked out the back door of the schoolhouse just to turn the corner and sit in a heap of depression in the building’s shadow. Inevitably, the Crusaders – all five of them – soon turned up to have followed her.

“What do _you_ all want?” she sneered, though there was no feeling behind it. After she’d woken up following the high fall Silver had knocked her into, she had also come back to her senses. Once Silver Spoon had recounted what Tiara had done while serving Vista, the pink filly had been horrified to see how far she’d gone in the name of revenge and been blinded by her own ego. Her father’s punishment of grounding her for life until further notice was trivial compared to what judgement lay in store for her at the hooves of the Crusaders.

“Well, Ah’m here to apologize,” Apple Bloom said flatly.

“Y-you’re what?” Tiara was stunned. “After all the stuff I did to you, to your friends? What do you have to apologize for?”

“That _was_ me at the window that night durin’ the storm. Ah’d been so worked up about gettin’ back at you for all that Ah’ve had to deal with because you don’t like me, or mah friends…it’s mah fault for drivin’ you to such extremes. And Ah’m sorry for callin’ you a bitch ‘cause you insulted mah parents.”

“Seriously, Apple Bloom?” asked Scootaloo. “Are you going to apologize to her for everything _before_ you got the cast, too?”

Tiara sighed. “No, I wouldn’t accept an apology for any of that earlier stuff, either, I deserved it. Especially since I now know more often than not I dragged Silver along for the ride as well, didn’t I?” Silver just nodded, prompting Tiara to continue. “All this time, I’ve been a big fat bully, all because of some stupid reason.”

“There was a reason?” Sweetie raised an eyebrow in confusion. “I thought you just didn’t like us because we didn’t have cutie marks?”

“Well, that too, but that was really just a bonus cause for being mean to you all. Really, I guess the main reason why I was the bane of your existences was that you three will be more important than I ever will be.”

Now Babs was confused. “Say again?”

Tiara scowled, “are you all that blind? Your sisters – or sister figure in the case of Rainbow Dash – are half of the Elements of Harmony; the six most influential ponies in all of Equestria below the alicorns! You have near direct ties to _two_ princesses now! The only reason I’m even from the wealthiest family in town is because my great grandfather sold the goods made by the Apple Family!”

“So, what, does that make me chopped alfalfa now?” grumbled Silver.

Realizing her lapse back to her usual behavior, Diamond immediately became ashamed of herself. “Sorry for the outburst, but…old habits die hard. As for you, Silver; you’re from a line of silversmiths and are in line to take over the family business, along with the other thing your family did. But me? I’m just a rich brat.”

“A rich brat with a cutie mark she likes to flaunt in our faces,” commended Apple Bloom, referencing the argument that had gotten the entire mess started in the first place.

Diamond picked up on it. “If you really want to know; my cutie mark isn’t really all that special. My special talent? I love to get attention. That’s it. I’m rich, I’m popular – or was, at any rate – and for all anypony cared I was living the dream life. So it was a constantly maddening thing to go through _every single day_ to see you three blank flanks have something that I couldn’t have for all the money in my dad’s bank account or any other means.”

“And what would _that_ be?”

“Friendship.” DT couldn’t even look any of the other fillies in the eye as she elaborated; “You were right, Silver, we were never really true friends, we really just hooked up because I wanted to be seen with the second richest filly in town and you were desperate to do anything for a friend. But as much as I tried to deny it, there were you Crusaders, undefined by cutie marks but instead possessing something my cutie mark demanded I try to have but the best I could accomplish was a mere farce of one. Hence, why I always worked to try and knock the Crusaders down whenever I could, to prove to myself that I was better. That’s what blinded me during this whole affair, I wanted to get back at you so badly, Apple Bloom, that I willingly sacrificed everything that mattered to me. In the end, I guess I did become what I always have been; a bit-“

“Okay, that word’s been tossed around _far_ too much at this point, okay?” interrupted Babs. “You’re all _ponies_ again, can you just refer to yourselves and each other as ponies instead of as small female dogs?”

“Of course!” laughed Apple Bloom, who – against every logical particle in her body screaming for her not to – did the unthinkable and outstretched a hoof towards the teary-eyed filly who had been the most hated thing in her life for years. “And ponies are the best at friendship.”

* * *

“Someday I’m going to get you to _pay_ for one of these things,” said Sandalwood, her hooves around Raspberry’s neck.

“I could just as easily undo the cure, y’kno-oohhhhh yessss…” replied Razz, sighing contentedly as Sandy’s delicate hooves worked their magic on her body.

“But you won’t, will you?”

“Of course not, I’m too nice a pony for that. Besides, I doubt you’d be this good at your job with canine paws.”

Sandalwood merely ‘mm-hmmmed’ a reply but Razz knew the aromatherapist was grateful. After all, she’d immediately promised the unicorn free aromatherapy for a month or so when it was found the cure did indeed work and lycanthropy had ceased to exist in Ponyville. That had been yesterday, but while not even a full day had gone by it felt like so much had happened. The guards, satisfied that Ponyville was now safe from any lingering threats, had bid their farewells and departed back home to Canterlot. Rainbow had begged Twilight to get Lightning that second chance at the Wonderbolts for a variety of reasons. And here was Sandalwood, back to work as if nothing had gone wrong.

“So, are you going to go back to selling those gems of yours?” asked Sandalwood, moving to set up another one of her scents, one which smelled something like cinnamon.

“Sort of. If ponies want to order them from me, I’ll do it, but as it stands there’s no need for me go door to door anymore. The Traveler’s Retreat is my workplace and my home, now, so I have to abide by the rules of Ascot and Cashmere and they probably won’t want me installing a blast furnace inside the place. Doesn’t bother me, anyway, since I still have my set up back in the safehouse in the Everfree ruins.”

Sandy raised an eyebrow at that. “The guards didn’t confiscate that stuff? Even though it was used for illegal counterfeiting?”

“It’s dark crystal, you think anypony would even _try_ touching that stuff? Of course, there is that stipulation I have to add the embittering charm on any gems I make from now on to prevent a certain baby dragon from eating them and repeating _that_ fun scenario.”

The conversation largely stopped at that point as Sandy started to go deeper in her motions, the relief evident in the noises coming out of Raspberry’s muzzle. She was slightly disappointed when it was all over, but not too much as if the conversation with the waiting Rarity in the spa’s lobby meant anything, this was going to be a weekly occurrence.

“Oh, Sandalwood, I got a package for you,” said the receptionist, not looking up from whatever fashion mag she’d grabbed off of the stack sitting in the lobby’s table. “Lyra Hearthsrings or something dropped it off.”

“Really, now?” Sandy popped into the small office and retrieved the package, choosing to open it in the safety of her own little corner in the back as she didn’t have another appointment for at least 15 minutes. Inside the package was a book: _Minotaur Anatomy for Dummies_. The section about minotaur hand structures had little post-it tabs attached, no doubt Lyra’s doing.

“Well, this should prove useful,” chuckled Sandalwood, wondering if the book in her hooves could prove that minotaurs were in fact related to the mythical human race in one way or another.

* * *

“So, _this_ is the one you actually killed eleven years ago?” asked Luna, skeptical of the body she stood next to. “I was, admittedly, expecting more than a dead wolf, almost literally skin and bones no less, with its heart gored out.”

“Come now, you read what Twilight wrote was how this came to be,” chastised Celestia. “The only thing still remaining in that crater is a broken tombstone, which ironically marks where Sable Loam died last year.”

“Poetic justice, I guess?”

“I honestly don’t care, the fact these two are finally both dead for good is enough for me.”

With a nod, Celestia commanded the guards to carry the stuffed body that had once been Fair Vista’s resurrected vessel into the secret vault under the Crystal Castle. Silently, the also stuffed body of Sable Loam, untouched and forgotten since having taken residence there, gazed into nothing as it was finally reunited with its mate.

“And so here, _finally_ , ends the legacy of Sable Loam.” Celestia’s tone was a mix of relief and annoyance. She was relieved that there truly had been an end to Sable’s plans in any form whatsoever, but was also annoyed at this being the _third_ time she had decided he had been finally dealt with. “Let us hope that the third time truly is the charm and these two will stay locked away forever.”

“Of course they will, Celly,” snarked Luna, “they finally are reunited, what more do they need than each other?”

“Oh, that’s easy, Lu-Lu; _silence_.”

Together, the alicorns of day and night re-sealed the vault, the light from outside being drawn across the two stuffed werewolves inside, where their only companions were each other and the elaborate defenses that would ensure they would never get out if, for whatever reason, they actually could still come back to life. Then, with a resounding clang, all light was shut out of the vault, leaving the last of the werewolves forever entombed under the place where the curse had been created.

* * *

That evening, a great feast was held at Sweet Apple Acres, to celebrate the final defeat of werewolves and how it had cursed the farming family for two generations. Of course, due to needing to keep werewolves actually having existed as a secret, it was instead Pinkie’s “Ponyville is now safe thanks to Raspberry Beryl/Celebration that Raspberry Beryl’s injuries weren’t more serious” bash. The majority of the townsfolk were in attendance, namely to thank (and for many, the first chance to really meet) Raspberry, who did her best to not show how uncomfortable she was with being the center of attention. Though, admittedly, she did appreciate the attention being positive and welcoming to her instead of the mobs of old who drove her out under the impression she was no better than Sombra.

By the middle of the party, when it was pretty late at night, Razz did manage to find a way to sneak out of the festivities. Once reunited with Heliodor, who had been off doing his own thing in the edge of the Everfree, the two silently made the short journey to the farm’s graveyard. There, standing out from the other, smaller gravestones in the sea of roses, two alabaster sentinels marked the final resting places of the ponies Raspberry wished to speak to. She drew closer, getting in range to read the inscriptions.

_APPLESEED_

_Loving Father_

_CORNFLOWER_

_Loving Mother_

“Um, hello,” awkwardly greeted the unicorn. The tombstones said nothing, which was perfectly normal behavior for tombstones. Nonetheless, Razz sighed. “You probably don’t know me and I most likely never met you before you died, but I know the monsters named Sable Loam and Fair Vista were the ones who transformed you into werewolves yourselves, before Sable murdered you both in the dead of winter. Applejack told me of how she and the rest of your surviving family met you on some other plane of existence following Sable Loam’s defeat, so I’ll just assume you know everything up to that point.

“As for why I am here now…it’s to apologize. Because of me, Applejack had to suffer everything she went through a year ago all over again. It was unintentional, but it doesn’t make me feel any less guilty about the matter. However, you should also know that I have purged the curse of lycanthropy not only from your daughters but from the thankfully few other ponies who were unfortunate to contract it, along with personally dispatching Fair Vista. No more shall werewolves plague your family, nor this town as a whole.

But I am also here to let you know how deeply indebted I am to your daughter: Apple Bloom. Until I came to Ponyville, there was nothing for me other than my companion Heliodor and a unique type of magic that ponies believed was all they needed to know about who I was and that I was to be run out of town, if not worse. Then not once, but _twice_ I almost did things I would have forever regretted and ruined any chances of me being ever accepted as a regular pony, much less being able to have a stable life that others take for granted. If it wasn’t for her, who knows what would be different?”

“Ah’d still be a flea bitten varmit, for starters!” suddenly came the voice of Apple Bloom. Surprised, Beryl turned around to see the filly standing not too far away from her. Apple Bloom was not alone, for Applejack was also there.

“Heh, don’t worry, we talk to our folks once ‘n a while ourselves. Just ‘cause they’re dead don’t mean they aren’t around,” said the orange mare. “Heck, after all you’ve done for us, you’re practically part of the Apple Family already!”

“I guess so, huh?” Razz smiled. “I even have the fashion accessory, too.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow, “What are you talkin’ about?”

“Oh, well, all of the Apples have some kind of accessory. You’ve got your bow, Applejack’s got her hat, Granny has her neckerchief, Big Mac has his collar…and I’ve got this.” The unicorn’s rear left leg rose up to show off the brace she would forever need to wear.

“Funny you should mention that, darling,” said Rarity, who also had appeared on the scene. Pinkie, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow followed right behind her. “I take it nopony’s explained why your leg brace is so special, yet?”

“I remember Nurse Redheart mentioning something about it, but that she wasn’t the one who should tell me.”

Twilight beamed, “Can you take it off for a second?”

“Uh, why? Right now I can’t even stand up without it.”

Pinkie suddenly produced a large, pony sized mirror with a back stand, putting it between Twilight and Raspberry. “I _knew_ I kept an emergency fashion mirror on Sweet Apple Acres for a reason!” she said with pride.

Raspberry didn’t pay any attention to Pinkie, rather her focus was more on the detail she’d missed. On the middle section of the brace, positioned right over where the scars still were normally quite visible, was an engraving of a Claddagh Ring within the smooth face of the plastic case. Two hooves held a heart between them, with the heart having a crown of sorts sitting on top of it. Of note was that the heart appeared to be more than just the outline of one, rather it was faceted. It was the Crystal Heart.

“Traditionally, Claddagh Rings are symbols of shared bonds of love, loyalty, and friendship," explained Rarity. "The hooves are friendship, the heart is love, and the crown is loyalty. Admittedly, while I was the one who suggested the heart be made to resemble the Crystal Heart in recognition of your nobility - I have a working relationship with the pony in charge of making medical attire of all sorts used by Ponyville General ever since I simply _had_ to redesign those hideous patient gowns following Rainbow’s accident almost two years ago, and if you need another brace for formal affairs I’ll gladly have another one designed and made just for you - it was Apple Bloom who came up with the idea first to put a meaningful symbol on your brace.”

“Yeah, after what happened at your trial, I never did forget how you only did that because you thought we, as your friends, had abandoned you, even though we hadn’t. This way, you’ve always got a piece of Ponyville to take with you, a reminder that no matter what, we’ll always be there to support you!”

The way Raspberry’s eyes started to tear up almost made it a truly heartfelt moment as she took in the significance of the symbol emblazoned on the leg brace, except at that same moment Heliodor started making some kind of whining noise, evidently worried about something.

“Oh, shush, you!” scolded Raspberry, “Don’t think for a second I’m ever going to abandon you just because you’re not my only friend anymore, which I will point out hasn’t been true for months. Besides, it’s not like I could get you to stop using my horn as your favorite roost spot.”

Heliodor shrugged as if that was a good enough answer for him, to which everypony laughed. Then Pinkie shivered.

“Wowee!” she exclaimed, “is it just me or is it getting colder?”

“Well, we are getting close to when the weather team will be bringing in the snow for Hearth’s Warming!” said Rainbow. “Plus, we’re missing the party, so let’s go!” The group nodded in unison, though the Apples didn’t seem to make a move to follow along.

“We got some things to say to our folks, too, we’ll be along shortly,” said Applejack.

“Alright, see you inside,” replied Raspberry, who then seemed to remember something. “Hey, Twilight, can I ask a favor of you?”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” answered the alicon. “What do you need?”

“Well, it’s sort of a personal matter…”

Whatever Razz and Twi were discussing, the Apple sisters didn’t hear anything more as they turned to commune with the dead.

“Well, Ah guess there really isn’t much _to_ say, given Razz said most of it,” chuckled AJ. “But yeah…we ain’t werewolves no more, for real this time, and there aren’t any more so it’s almost like they never stopped bein’ more than legends in the first place.”

“But just because we’re A-OK don’t mean we won’t ever stop thinkin’ about ya!” added Apple Bloom. “We still miss you, ma and pa, but we know you’re lookin’ out for us from wherever you are!”

As if given an invisible que, both Applejack and Apple Bloom instinctively looked up. There, streaking across the sky, were a pair of eternally mated shooting stars. AJ took her sister’s side, draping a foreleg over her body, as the sisters watched their parents fly towards the horizon and through the cerulean night.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Canterlot…

“Honestly, Vinyl, you can’t be serious!” complained Octavia. This had been an _extremely_ difficult resturaunt to get reservations to and while Vinyl Scratch, a.k.a. ‘DJ P0N-3” was capable of acting like a normal pony in this setting, she tended to be quite eccentric given an interest in something.

“I’m serious, Octy! I got a guy in the 501st, old childhood friend of mine, he told me there were honest-to-Celestia _werewolves_ threatening Ponyville! He even killed one or two of them, though I will admit I don’t believe him on his claim that they were all identical clones.”

“Right. And the fact something similar happened in that strange forest – why anypony lives near it still confuses me – last year that the Minotaurs were somehow involved with also had something to do with werewolves? Didn’t that one individual, ‘Iron Will’ I think his name was, claim to have killed the last one and thus make the princess as his bride?”

“Yeah, totally! I know everypony says it was all a cover up for some seriously bad stuff that went down and our nations only used his wedding with the excuse of werewolves to hide why they suddenly have stronger ties, but think about it! What if it actually _was_ werewolves involved there, too?!”

“Oh, please.” Drawled the gray pony with the black mane, “werewolves… a silly idea, no doubt about it.” Suddenly, the pony behind her broke into hysterics. Annoyed, Octavia turned around to confront the offender. “Sir, do you mind?”

“Ah, yes, sorry!” apologized the finely dressed brown unicorn, then taking the chance to sip at his coffee…which looked suspiciously more like chocolate milk than anything. Octavia couldn’t be sure, but for a second she thought his eyes, which appeared to normally be regular, brown colored eyes, had flashed in color where they were yellow with red irises. “I just figured out an old joke that a friend once told me long ago, unfortunately it’s an inside joke so you wouldn’t understand.”

“Well, please, some ponies are trying to have a conversation with ponies at the table they’re sitting at.” She then turned back to Vinyl, scowling. “But honestly, ponies who turn into wolves…what rubbish!”

**Author's Note:**

Believe it or not, this last chapter was written under a full moon (3/13/14), for real. It's been slightly over a year by the time anybody other than me reads this with regards to when A Hairy Problem was first put up, so it felt appropriate that I end Applejack's lycanthropy, along with all the other ponies being turned back to normal, on their special lunar phase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Finally the last chapter of this book. Now This is were things start to get tricky. Now were getting to Seven Days in Sunny June. Now is were I have to put the stories that take place during book one into place. All Nine? of them. So it will take me a bit. Most of the Chapters are dates. And things are just now getting interesting.


	60. 7DSJ Book 1 Ch.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright lets kick this section of with 7DSJ: The Three Sunrises By Shinzakara. The Prequel to Seven Days in Sunny June, book 1.

# September 16: Spirit of the Rising Sun, Lift Me Up

Brown, clear liquid dripped from Sunset Shimmer’s face. And her hair. The coffee cup clattered on the ground, spilling whatever was left of its contents that had not been tossed in the flame-haired teen’s face just seconds before.

“Go away,” the teen snarled. “You’re not wanted here.” Behind her, three other girls nodded their heads, in such synchronicity that clearly indicated they were of one mind on this.

“Look….” Sunset said, her voice trying not to sound offended. She had no right to that feeling now, not since here comeuppance two days ago at the Homecoming Dance. Signs for the fall formal event still hung around the campus and were seen much as yesterday’s news.

Much like her.

A second girl butted in front of the first. “Let me make this clear, bitch: go the fuck away. You’re not wanted here, _ever_. Look, just…just do the world a favor and throw yourself in front of a car, okay?”

“But I w—”

“What you want we don’t give a shit about,” a third girl said. “What, does someone have to hit you upside the head to get the point across?”

“Let’s try it,” the last girl said, swinging a small bottle of water. By no means was it going to hurt, but the cap would probably pop off and spill more liquid on Sunset. Bracing for the impact, she prepared to be soaked again…

  


…only to have a tan-skinned hand reach out and catch the arm. “Great! Needed a drink, thanks!” A second hand of similar color to the first wrenched the bottle out of the offending striker’s grasp and tore the cap off before bringing it to her lips. The sounds of a person chugging a twenty ounce bottle of water sounded, followed by a refreshed, “Aaaah – that hit the spot.” Rainbow Dash then glared at the girls. “You know, I take a pretty dim view of people trying to hurt a friend of mine. So what the fuck is your problem, Scotch Bonnet? Or do you and your friends like being assholes?”

“Assholes?” Scotch gasped, narrowing her eyes. “If there’s one asshole around here, it’s _her_!” she accused, pointing at Sunset. “She glued my locker shut when Flash was trying to talk to me! And speaking of which, wasn’t she the one who called you a ‘fucking wetback that needs to go back to Mexico?’”

Rainbow bristled slightly at that, then looked out of the corner of her eyes at Sunset. The flamehaired girl was doing a credible imitation of Fluttershy, and not in a good way, either. Rainbow immediately solved this by putting an arm around Sunset. “Eh, big fucking whoop. She and I are tight now – so if you have a problem with her, then you have a problem with me, _¿sobres?_ ”

“What?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “We live in _California_ and you have no idea what Spanglish is? Look, just GTFO and leave Sunset alone, okay?”

“We weren’t picking on the cunt!” the second girl snarled.

“Hey, I call it as I see it,” Rainbow replied. “So let me make this clear: you fuck with _her_ , you’re fucking with _me_ , and I’m going to fuck _you_ up. Got that?” the athlete said in a dangerous tone. The four girls blanched, nodded and then decided that absence was the better part of valor and decided to take off.

“There,” Rainbow replied, shrugging her shoulders. “Can’t believe that….” She then looked at Sunset. “Sunset, what is _wrong_ with you?”

“I…I just…I just wanted….”

Rainbow allowed herself a rare moment of not-coolness. “Look, Sunset…it’s a Monday. People are just getting used to everything that happened this past Friday. Nothing happens overnight – literally or metaphically.”

“Metaphorically?” Sunset supplied.

“Yeah, that.” She looked at the other teen, who was starting to stink of coffee and whose clothes had acquired a very caffeinated stain. “Plus, _really_? This ‘meek’ you isn’t…well, _you_.”

“I know, but… I _have_ to make amends. Truthfully, it took a lot of effort to even get out of bed this morning.” That, of course, had been the truth, but not all of it; it had been an unusually blustery morning earlier on and the chill was enough to even penetrate the corrugated walls of the old Flim-Flam Bros. warehouse. While the room she slept in thankfully had been insulated and so she didn’t wake up to a freezing room. Unfortunately, she couldn’t say the same for the rest of the cavernous warehouse, and stepping out of the living quarters had been an excruciating adjustment. At that point, she’d briefly considered just ditching school for the day but ultimately decided to come in, if only for her would-be friends’ sakes.

_It’s a good thing that it’s just a one-time frost just before Indian summer sets in,_ she thought. She also mused on why the Earth _had_ a warming period after the first frost of the year, as well as why they called it “Indian summer”. She never considered asking, and now that she was trying to change her ways, it was probably something that was _definitely_ taboo, if for no other reason than the fact that it could be potentially offensive.

_I don’t really get how skin color and other things like that come between humans,_ she mused. _I mean, yeah, we ponies went through that kind of stuff too between the tribes, but that was centuries ago and we’ve gotten over it since._ All in all, it was just another reminder of how Sunset wasn’t a part of the species she lived with, no matter how much she looked like one of them.

“Well, anyway, it’s lunchtime, so you going to join us? Actually, come to think of it…. What _do_ you do during lunchtime, anyway?” Rainbow asked.

Sunset fell right in line with Rainbow, not wanting to argue. “Sure, that sounds great. As to what I did, well….”

Five other girls looked at Sunset in shock. Sunset had the good grace, at least, to be completely embarrassed.

“Ah, _uh_ ….” Applejack said, lost for words. The other four pretty much agreed with that assessment, though they didn’t voice it.

Finally, Rarity was the one to speak. Blushing madly, she asked, “Truly?”

Sunset sighed. “You wanted to know what I did during my lunch time and I promised myself that I wouldn’t lie to you five, especially since you’re giving me this chance.” _And now I seriously wondered if I blew it._

“But….” was all Fluttershy could squeak before she finally hid under the table, mortified.

Sunset sighed again. “Look, girls…I’m sorry that I was a bit, _ah_ , ‘blunt’ in my statement. So…please forgive me?”

An awkward silence reigned again until Applejack spoke once more. “ _Uh_ …Sunset, Ah know y’re from a different culture ‘nall, but…normal kids don’t spend their lunches havin’ sex in th’ locker room with their guys.”

“I…know that now,” Sunset admitted. “At the time when I was with Flash…I really didn’t care. I wanted him, he wanted me, you get the idea. Plus, in fairness, you have to remember that I’m still learning a bunch of cultural norms – you grew up with these standards, but I didn’t.”

Rarity whispered to Fluttershy as the latter unearthed herself from beneath the table, _“Is it me, darling, but did I get the idea that her species’ societal etiquette isn’t much different from ours?”_ The chiffon-haired girl, still not trusting herself to say much, merely nodded in response.

“But now I know that it was just a physical thing,” Sunset said, unaware of Rarity’s thoughts. “And while I can’t say that I loved him or anything, I…I just feel empty about that. And it didn’t help that he focused on Sparkle while she was here.”

“But you broke up with him last…what, March or so? What’d you do then?” Rainbow asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

“I did what you guys know: I picked on people, bullied Snips and Snails into doing my homework for me, kicked dogs, smacked kids and was generally the worst person on Earth.”

“Oh, that’s not true, Sunset!” Pinkie chirped, trying to put a smile on the flamehaired girl’s face. “You’re not the worst person on Earth, because you’re _not_ a person – you’re an alien in disguise, so maybe you’re the worst _thing_ on Earth, but not the worst _person_!”

“Not helping, Pinks,” Rainbow groaned.

“I…have a whole bunch of other things to do. I’ll see you later.” Before anyone could stop her, Sunset left the table, rushing out of the cafeteria. After that, the four scowled at Pinkie.

“What…was it something I said?”

Sunset made it as far as the first corridor away from the cafeteria. Her heart pounded and she felt like she was going to void what little she’d eaten for breakfast. _I wish I’d had the sense to at least grab some rolls from my tray before I took off,_ she mentally groaned. As it was, she’d spent money that she couldn’t afford to part with; now that she couldn’t pressure other students into giving up their funds for her “Sunset Shimmer Appreciation Society Dues”, things were going to be as tight as ever.

At that point, she was just to head out the door and just call it a day when a voice behind her said, “And where do you think _you’re_ going, young miss?” Sunset suddenly froze in place, only to turn around and face the person she least wanted to see: Principal Celestia.

“Going outside to get some fresh air,” the teen said, glibly. She just didn’t say how far outside she was going.

“And how coincidental that the door you chose leads towards the parking lot and the way out?”

Sunset shrugged. “Eventually all directions lead out, Principal Celestia. Besides, aren’t the side doors the only way into the school while the main entrance is being rebuilt?” The moment she said that, she winced – the front of the school wouldn’t have needed the extensive reconstruction if it hadn’t been for what she did just a few days back.

The educator’s magenta eyes narrowed. “I believe that we wouldn’t have needed the maintenance if you hadn’t caused your ‘creative’ rearranging.”

Sunset was about to snap something back, then thought better of it. She was already _equina non grata_ back in Equestria and on thin ice here; while she longed to just leave here and start somewhere else, there would be too many problems with doing that and as thin as it was, her only support network on this world was here in this city.

“As it is, you still have detention, and unless you want to add to your list of issues, Ms. Shimmer, then I strongly suggest you turn around and head back to the cafeteria or perhaps take a breath of air outside in the inner courtyard.” With that, the administrator walked away from Sunset at a slow enough pace to indicate that she was listening out for the alien teen’s next move.

Not knowing what else to do, Sunset punched a locker, knowing Celestia was listening…but pulling her punch, since her natural strength would have caved the door in, causing even more heartache for her. With no other options available to her, Sunset walked down the hall in the opposite direction. She wasn’t going to give the educator the benefit of hearing her frustration.

Sunset entered the room, giving a brief glance to Mr. Tofu, the earth sciences teacher, who was in charge of today’s detention. “I’m here, Mr. Tofu,” the teen said morosely.

The teacher ran his fingers across his fuzzy soulpatch – _He must think it makes him look older and distinguished,_ Sunset thought to herself – then sighed. “Take a seat, Ms. Shimmer,” he said in a monotone, “and just do your homework until it’s time for dismissal, if you please.” He then looked at the rest of those seated in their chairs and announced, “Let’s make this quick and easy: Just do your homework or read silently until the hour is up and we can all be out of here nice and peacefully.”

A tall kid with sandy blond hair and ruddy skin flipped the teacher off and said, “Well, what’re you gonna do to me if I don’t, ya pansy ass?” Mr. Tofu just rolled his eyes, and the boy laughed. “Yeah, thought as much, you fuckin’ freak.”

A guy behind him said, “Good one, Garble!” Garble turned around and high-fived the other boy.

Sunset, meanwhile, couldn’t help herself; while she didn’t really give two shits about Mr. Tofu, she wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. “Oh, knock it off, you two. He’s just trying to make it easy on us.”

“Hey, the bitch speaks.” Garble got up from his chair and walked over to Sunset; he was tall enough that her seated form came up to his waist. “Hey, while you’re sitting there, wanna polish my knob? Pretty much all you’re good for nowadays – just a spooge target and that’s it.”

Sunset glared at him, then leaned over in her chair as her face took an uninterested look. “Wow, how long did it take you to string that sentence together, Garble? Or did you have your mom help you with that?”

“Garble, get to your seat,” Tofu said in a tone that almost approached stern. “Let’s not make this harder than it has to be.”

“Oh, go shove it up your ass, dumbfuck,” the teen said. “I got a date here with this bitch. And if she squirms, well, that’s just the way I _like_ it. So, Baconhead Cunt, up the ass or down the throat?”

Sunset’s eyes gleamed. “Oh, I don’t know – why don’t you ask your boyfriend over there how he likes giving it to you?” Her eyes then narrowed as she said, “Now sit your ass down and listen to the teacher, got that?”

Garble stared down at her, his mind only on one thing. “Only thing I got is how you’re going to _beg_ me to fuck you when I’m done with you, skank,” he seethed.

That was enough for Sunset. Rising from her chair, she said, “You’re going to regret your words, asshole.”

  


**“SHIMMER! GARBLE! BREAK IT UP!”** a booming voice cried. Both turned to the door to see Mr. Iron Will, one of the school’s guidance counselors as well as a geometry teacher and the baseball teams’ coach, standing there, taking up almost all the space in the doorframe. The dark-skinned man was built like a bodybuilder – no surprise there, as he lifted weights regularly – and earned every bit of his nickname when he played professional sports: The Minotaur. He’d been the star slugger and outfielder for the Cloudsdale Thunderstorms until repeated injuries ended his career. Even still, he showed a passion for sports, as well as his current employment by way of teaching.

Tofu suddenly moved to the counselor’s side as the latter barked, “ **SIT. DOWN.** _And don’t move until I say so._ ” As both Sunset and Garble returned to their seats, the two teachers conversed for a bit, with Iron Will nodding occasionally. The room fell silent, as every student decided to imitate a statue, not so much as even daring to breathe lest the attention of the massive counselor fall on them. “Thought so,” he said to no one in particular. Finally, in a stern tone, turned his attention to the two earlier students, ordering, “Garble, move next door – _now_. You will sit in there until I say otherwise, understood?” The teen said nothing but instead rose from his seat once more, walked up to the teachers and gave both of them a glare before walking out of the room. A few seconds later, Iron Will said, “Ms. Shimmer, if you would, please follow me.”

Sunset, feeling as though she was in deep shit, followed the counselor out of the classroom. “Please close the door,” Iron Will said, and Sunset did so. “Now, Mr. Tofu told me what just occurred, because given your past, I was expecting a fight. And quite frankly, I’m rather…surprised…that I did not see one. Given your previous demeanor, Ms. Shimmer, you can count me as impressed.”

The flamehaired girl was _not_ expecting that. “Uh, thanks?” Being complimented was something she hadn’t been used to in a while. The last time she’d gotten a genuine compliment was with Flash, and she’d been hot, sweaty and straddling him at the time. “I, _er_ ….”

Iron Will pointed towards the door. “Fortunately for you, the faculty does get some leeway in regards to detention. Tofu suggested I let you go, and I’m inclined to agree. I’m going to take it on face value that this isn’t just a one-time thing and cut you loose early. Do us teachers all a favor and try not to make another appearance here?”

“I’ll try not to,” she said, not sure of what else to say. _This really just happened, right?_

Finally, after some shopping for food and a quick trip to the Laundromat to wash her clothing, she arrived at home sweet hovel. Setting her basket of clothing down on the table, she pulled out her phone and looked at her bank balance.

_I have maybe just enough to get me through the rest of the month,_ she realized as she closed the app, _and nothing more. What am I going to do?_ Her mind went through dozens of ideas, all of them unsavory. Now that she was turning a new leaf, selling term papers and the like was out of the question. She would _never_ sink to dealing drugs or becoming a mare of the night. And her ID barely worked now; if she had to get a real job where she’d have to have parents sign off on documents and such as other students did, she didn’t know what she did. She was able to steal the identity of the Sunset Shimmer of this world because the trail went dead years ago; when she looked up the whereabouts of her counterpart in this world, the closest she came was a newspaper from five or so years back detailing that indicated that eight-year-old Sunset Shimmer was missing and authorities were looking for her. Sunset herself shivered at that; was she living the life of a dead girl?

_And I can’t go back to Equestria. She’ll kill me if I do. What do I do?_ She looked at her purse, then at the phone.

_I know a quick way to get money, and I’m going to hate myself for it._

There was a knock on the door. _Fuck, who’s knocking on the door at this hour?_ Flash Sentry groaned. “Okay, I’m coming, I’m coming, don’t get your panties in a bunch,” he said. He didn’t give a damn who heard him; his parents were on a trip to Europe at the moment anyway. He opened the door to find….

“Sunset?” he asked, surprised.

“Hey,” she waved, softly. “Can I come in?”

**Author's Note:**

Yeah, this is a prequel to _Seven Days in Sunny June, Book I_. No, don't expect Sunset to be perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man I'm so glad the special page breaks made it through the pasting. Each one represents a different character and it really helps to keep track of point of view.


	61. 7DSJ Book 1 Ch.2

# September 17: Hold Me There and Never Let Me Fall

“HOW DARE YOU HUMILIATE ME, USURPER!” _an ivory face, with eyes glowing like twin stars stared right at her. A mane the color of the rising sun glowed with pure and utter power, and the sight was fearsome to behold. But it was the sneer on the face of the being looking at her that hurt the most: a frown that said that it didn’t care. That the grimace’s owner felt no love any longer._

_And she knew that it was her fault._

“DIE, TRAITOR!” _The world filled with nothing but flame…._

And Sunset sat up, gasping for breath. The sweat still glistened on her nude body, and despite the soreness she felt, she shivered from her nightmare.

She turned to see both the clock, which read 3:30 am; and Flash, gently dozing in the bed next to her. Getting out of bed, she slipped on her panties and bra, then walked over to the chair, where her clothes were slung all over the place – including what was left of her shirt. They’d ripped it off in a fit of passion.

_Well,_ he _ripped it off in passion. I felt nothing,_ she thought to herself. Not even like in the past. Back then, she had a “relationship”, quotes and all, both because he was the dreamiest guy in school, and because she enjoyed her freedom probably a little too much. But she wasn’t the same person she was when she broke up with him back in March – or even the same person who felt a twinge of jealousy when he was paying attention to Twilight Sparkle during her time here, even if he didn’t remember the alicorn now – Twilight’s last spell before returning to Equestria had ensured that only those who needed to remember would do so.

_Then why did I do it?_ she asked. _I could have come up with a billion ideas. Hell, I could have found a way to blackmail him or something. Instead, I let him have what he wanted._ A wave of nausea sank into her as she realized what she’d done.

She walked over, reached in his pants and pulled out his wallet. _It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?_ Sunset could practically hear Princess Celestia’s words of disgust clear in her mind. _Congratulations, nightwalker. I hope lifting your tail was worth it, instead of becoming a princess._ Sunset opened Flash’s wallet, finding a little over a hundred in various bills; his parents were loaded, so his allowance usually counted in the three figures.

_And all I have to do is take the money I earned,_ Sunset thought to herself in loathing tones, _and then go find the next trick. Who else? Maybe Mr. Tofu? Guy’s probably never gotten laid. Or maybe Mr. Form Factor, the computer teacher – I hear he likes cute girls. Or maybe even Ms. Raven; I heard she got caught with a female student and…._

She looked at the sleeping form in the bed, and the pain ripped her apart. She had happily been a slut, if only to control him. Now? The one time presumptive-daughter of the Princess of All, a former baroness and once the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria had just reduced herself to a common whore.

Sunset slumped to the floor in a wordless cry. _I’m so sorry, Princess. I have failed you once again._ Sunset wasn’t sure how long she was there, crying silently at her lowest point, only afraid that Flash would wake up, tell her to take the money and next time bring a friend.

Horrified, she shoved Flash’s wallet, money still in it, back in his pants, then slipped on her clothing – she took one of his t-shirts, more out of need than revenge – and quietly left the house. She had time to get to the warehouse and take a long, _long_ cold shower in order to get ready for the school day.

_Too bad I can never wash away my sins,_ the former unicorn mused as she closed the front door of the house and started walking down the street.

“I…I need help,” Sunset said to the others at lunch that day.

“Sunset, dear, is everything alright?” Rarity asked.

“No, no it’s not.” And with that, she explained everything of the night’s prior events. She knew Flash wouldn’t talk about it; he had his reputation as “Mr. Nice Guy” to maintain, if only to victimize the next girl. But she had pledged to be a different Sunset Shimmer now, and that meant treading paths that she wasn’t used to having available…or even easy to tread.

So she explained. And if the girl’s reactions were bad yesterday, as she watched Fluttershy all but run from the table, she wondered if she’d truly blown her chance for friendship finally and utterly.

Applejack took a long draw of breath before saying, “Sunset? Ah think it’s fair t’ say that ya done fucked up bad.”

“That’s not all she fucked,” Rainbow snarked, only to get stared at by Rarity. “What?”

“Rainbow, darling, don’t be so crass.” Rarity turned to Sunset, a clearly and overtly kind smile on her face. “Sunset…I will be honest, dear: I don’t know what to say. I don’t see you as a lady of the night, but for you to fall so far….”

Sunset looked as though she wanted to cry. “Rarity, I don’t know what to do! I’ll lose everything if I run out of money!”

“Well, as much as I dislike the option as we would miss you, mayhaps it is time for you to return to your homeworld?”

Sunset shook her head. “Thirty moons, Rarity – that’s two and a half years. And keep in mind that the _first_ full moon isn’t until October 8th. I’ll be dead long before then. Besides,” she sighed, “Trust me when I say that option is completely off the table. I don’t want to go into detail, but for better or worse, this is my home now.”

“Well, we would have to find, _er_ , employment for you that would fit your requirements and not ask too many questions,” Rarity supplied. “Unfortunately, as I understand it, our state is notorious for wanting information for underage employees’ sakes.”

“So in other words, I’ll have to fake more documents like when I got here four years ago? You _know_ I can’t do that. Principal Celestia knows about me now and she’s going to be keeping an eye out. I may as well paint a sign on the wall that says, ‘Hey, I’m committing fraud!’”

“Hey, it’ll work out,” Applejack assured her friend. “It’s just like a story mah parents used t’ tell me when I was a little girl. There was a girl who lost her parents, and lived alone in her home. One day, she got visited by an angel who told her that everything would be better. But then her house burned down and she went to live in the toolshed. Then a second angel came and said that everything would be better, but then that night a tornado came and broke the toolshed and the little girl went to live in a cave in the side of the nearby mountain. And when the third angel came, the little girl told him to go away, but the angel said, ‘How will you ever know joy if you don’t look, little one?’ And when the girl came out of the cave, there were people there, looking for her, including her uncle, who took her to his house so she could live happily ever after.”

Hearing the story, Sunset didn’t say a word. She’d heard the story before, dozens of times, in fact – back in Equestria, where it was called “The Three Sunrises”. The story was basically the same, only with a little orphan filly and Princess Celestia coming at each sunrise to promise the little filly that things would be better soon; when the filly hid, Princess Celestia had told her, ‘How can you ever see the sunrise if you don’t go look?’ The story ended with the filly being happily adopted by nobles and living a happily ever after. If it hadn’t been for the fact that the story was centuries old, Sunset might have thought that Celestia invented it just about Sunset herself.

_Or maybe that’s what I wanted, and I didn’t know it until it was too late,_ Sunset mourned.

Unexpectedly, there was a slight giggle and everyone turned to Pinkie. “What’s up, Pinkie?” Rainbow asked.

A wide smile came onto the cheerleader’s face. “Oh, nothing much,” she replied.

“Auntie Cup! Uncle Carrot! I’m home!” Pinkie chirped as she walked into the Sugarcube Corner Café. She was wearing her cheerleading outfit after a long practice session and ran straight home, because her aunt and uncle still needed lots of help with the business.

“Oh, hey, Pinkie,” Carrot said, looking up from doing the day’s register count, pausing only as his niece kissed him on the cheek. “Cup’s upstairs with the twins. Can you give me a hand prepping the kitchen for tomorrow?”

“Sure! But can I take a shower first? Got all sweaty working on a new routine with the squad,” the hyper teen said. As her uncle nodded, she could see the café’s kitchen just behind him, looking like an utter disaster. It never looked so unkept before, but then again, it had only been in the past year or so since her aunt’s pregnancy and subsequent birthing of Pinkie’s cousins Pumpkin and Pound that things had gotten too hectic for the family.

Pinkie quickly rushed upstairs, said hi to her aunt and cousins and gave them loving kisses as well, before bounding into the shower and emerging fifteen minutes later with a towel around her frizzy cotton-candy pink hair and wearing a white t-shirt and capri jeans. With that, she rushed back downstairs, and dived right into the action, washing the pots and pans while her uncle started sweeping up the day’s detritus.

“Sorry, Pinkie,” Carrot said. “I know you’d rather be out doing teenage stuff instead of helping two fuddy old folks run this old shack.”

“Oh, don’t say that, Uncle Carrot,” Pinkie said with a sincere smile. “I love baking and party planning and all that, and between that and hanging out with my friends and being on the cheerleading squad is more than enough for me! Besides, I have the best aunt and uncle in the world and I couldn’t ask for anything more!”

“I know, but I wish I could get more help around here,” he sighed. “I don’t want you to miss out on your youth, and with Cup taking care of the twins, I can only do so much.”

A smile, the usual smile Pinkie had when she was about to ask for something, came over the teen’s face. “Maybe I could find another way to help?”

“Sweetie, I don’t want you to quit cheerleading just for our sakes.”

“No, I don’t mean that,” Pinkie said as she sprayed down one of the cookie sheets. “I mean, what if we got another person to work here after school?”

“I thought about that, but…well, I’d have to cut your hours, which…well, it would impact your allowance, sweetie.”

Pinkie smiled cheerily. “Honestly, Uncle Carrot? This is more important. And not just my hours, but…well, I have a friend I want to help, too.”

“Pinkie, I don’t…I mean, I can’t—”

Pinkie jumped up and down, holding Sunset’s hands in hers. “Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease say you’ll take it! You need one, my aunt and uncle really need help with the café, and I can’t be there all the time. I mean, the squad has to go to football games and all that an—”

“Okay, okay, okay!” Sunset said, not sure whether to laugh or hug Pinkie infinitely – not that the latter would mind too much. “I mean, beggars can’t be choosers, right?” She then winced as she said the old human aphorism.

Applejack placed her hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Sugarcube, this ain’t a handout, if’n that’s what you’re thinkin’. Ah been to th’ Sugarcube Corner dozens o’ times. They’ll work ya hard – you’ll earn your pay.”

“But what made your aunt and uncle decide to okay it? I thought you said that the café’s hurting for business right now?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, that’s easy!” Pinkie chirped. “I just had them cut my hours so they could pay Sunset!”

“Wait – didn’t you say once that your allowance is based on the hours you work there?” Sunset asked. “Pinkie, I can’t do that – that’d be hurting you and I can’t do that to you, Pinkie.”

The cotton-candy haired teen looked at her friend. “Sunny, I told my aunt and uncle the truth. Well, the part about you turning over a new leaf and sorts, not about you living alone or not being human or stuff like that – funny, people would think I was crazy if I started mentioning that!”

“I can’t imagine how anyone would ever think that,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

“Anyway, though, as much as you need help, they need your help, too! Uncle Carrot…he’s always so tired after working the café all by himself, and I worry about him. And Auntie Cup can’t help much, because she has the twins. And while I want to do more, there’s only so much I can do. So, really, as much as you need help, Sunny, my aunt and uncle need help too.”

“Sunny?” Sunset repeated. She never told her friends, but she really detested that nickname, if only because how often Flash had used when they both had angry, drunk sex. The one time she’d heard him slur, “Sunny Hunny’s fuckin’ funny; wants me to spooge all on her tummy,” she made it clear that she wanted to be called just Sunset from that point. Yet even still, she knew Pinkie wasn’t saying it out of malice or revenge – she was just being Pinkie.

Sunset nodded. “Okay. I guess I’ll head to the café with you afterschool—” Before she could even finish, she was wrapped up in a virtually bone-crushing hug from Pinkie. _“Pinkie…dying here….”_ Sunset gasped.

“Yay! You’ll do it! This calls for a ‘Sunset Got a Job’ party! Everyone’s invited to the café!”

Cup looked sternly at the teenager before her, and it was all Sunset could do to just stand there and take the woman’s withering glance. “So, you’re the one that’s been causing my niece heartache all these years?” Sunset wanted to melt from the withering glare the woman was giving her; whatever stories Pinkie had told her about her aunt being a softy were probably not as true as the teen thought they were. But then Cup smiled beatifically and added in softer tones, “Well, if Pinkie says you’ve turned a new leaf and need help, then far be it from me to turn away a girl in need.”

Sunset nodded. “Thank you, Mrs. Cake.”

“Oh, let’s see how much you thank me by the end of the day,” Cup said with a knowing smile.

“Sunset! Can you get this to table three?” Carrot called out, passing the plate to Sunset. “Also, this needs to go to table four, and this one needs to go to table one.” Sunset took the four trays, her arms wobbling as she barely held onto them both to the weight and the bulkiness. Moving slowly, she tried to get the dishes to the tables in the right wa—

**“SUNNY!”** Pinkie rushed down the stairs, wearing her cheerleader outfit. “Liking the job so far? You look good! Keep it up!”

“Pinkie, I just started five minutes ago,” Sunset said, gritting her teeth. Granted, she was grateful for Pinkie’s help in getting a job, but she needed to concentrate.

“Cool! Anyway, I gotta go because the football team’s playing Forest Edge High in an hour and I gotta get ready for our drills!” She waved over to her uncle, adding, “I’ll be home late tonight! I’ll see you later!” And before she even got an answer, she rushed out the door, leaving a befuddled and still struggling Sunset wondering what the hell just happened.

However, she didn’t have to wait much longer before Pinkie raced back in and shouted, “Totally forgot my pom-poms!” Unfortunately, while running past Sunset, she accidentally bumped into the overburdened teen. Sunset moved back and forth, trying to get a hold of the trays before she lost control. At the last second, just before she was about to drop them, she moved her other hand in to help and then poured spellfire through both hands, using a quick tractor spell to keep everything in place, while casting a second spell with the other intending to hide the cyan light flash of her magic. She’d fallen to her knees by the time everything was done, but somehow she’d managed to save everything before food and drinks had been splattered over the café floor.

Carrot was at her side in an instant. “You okay?”

“Yeah, my mistake,” she apologized. She knew it had been in truth Pinkie’s jostle, and she knew that Pinkie hadn’t intended to do so, so she wasn’t going to blame her for what was clearly an accident. Plus, Pinkie was her friend…maybe.

“Well, here, let me help you with that. Wouldn’t want the new employee to get hurt, would we?” he said with an awkward grin.

“No, I think I’d like to survive the day,” Sunset said, somewhat embarrassed.

Without warning, Pinkie rushed right by with her pom-poms, shouting, _“OhmyGodImlateIllbebacklaterguysbye!”_ as she raced by both, leaping out the door and into a car driven by another cheerleader that Sunset recognized as Somersault. Thankfully the other cheerleader hadn’t seen her, or else Sunset probably would’ve gotten an earful for stealing her phone and placing it at the bottom of the school’s swimming pool. Soon enough, the car drove off, with Sunset watching it recede into the distance.

“Something wrong?” Carrot asked.

“Yeah,” she admitted. “Just my past haunting me.”

Wiping a bit of sweat off her brow, Sunset exhaled. Her first night working had been unusually busy for the café, Carrot admitted; the café usually closed at six due to the tapering off of business, but for some reason, everybody in the universe wanted to hit the Sugarcube Corner today and that meant that Sunset worked until the legal limit of ten that night instead of seven, which had been the original plan. Given that the place was busy, she needed the experience and the money, and she couldn’t leave Pinkie’s family hanging, Sunset gave no qualms. All in all, truth be told, it had been a relatively uneventful night, with the exception of Derpy Hooves and her friend Carrot Top briefly coming in to grab a coffee, seeing her and immediately heading back out.

Finally, as she set the broom and dustpan in the closet and removed her apron, Carrot smiled. “Need a lift home, Sunset? It’s getting late and it is a school night.”

“No, I don’t live far from here,” she lied. In truth, she left her bike outside – well, technically the bike belonged to Snails’ sister before Sunset “appropriated" it; sooner or later, she was going to have to return it – and a good thirty-minute ride to her home. It was a good thing that no one had ever really inquired into her residential situation – for years she used an address that didn’t exist, but sounded like it was in the eastern part of town, maybe – but now that the truth was out, sooner or later Principal Celestia or Vice Principal Luna was going to look into the truth, and if she had problems now, that was going to be magnitudes worse.

_Best not push my luck in the meanwhile,_ Sunset thought.

“Well, at least let me make a panini or something for you before you go,” Carrot insisted. “You didn’t take a break for dinner, and I’d feel better if you did that.”

“Sure, thanks,” she said. At least the food here was healthier than the instant ramen she’d have to cook at home. Since she wasn’t a pony anymore, her metabolism wasn’t as high and while magic users could burn off calories just from spell, her human body didn’t seem to quite have that type of advantage. Besides, she liked looking good; while she was sure she wasn’t going to return to her relationship with Flash, there might be a chance that she might meet another guy that she liked, preferably one that wasn’t a bitch in sheep’s clothing.

It was then that the door unlocked and Pinkie walked in, somewhat subdued – well, subdued by Pinkie standards, in any case – and weary. “I’m home,” she said softly, before realizing that Sunset and Carrot were still in the café space of the building. “Busy night, huh?”

Sunset nodded. “How’d the game go?”

“JV and Varsity got their butts handed to them. Forest Edge had better teams; nobody’s fault, really. Though I am a little angry that Gridiron was paying attention to Sweet Swings instead of me.”

“I thought you had no interest in dating, Pinkie,” Sunset replied.

“Well, not really…but a girl likes a guy paying attention now and then, right?” the cotton-candy-haired girl said with a wink.

“Uh, yeah.” The room settled into an awkward silence as Pinkie realized she said something she shouldn’t have.

“Sunny….”

“Look, I gotta go.” Carrot came back at that point and brought out a doggie bag with a turkey and swiss panini, chips and a Diet Coke. Sunset said her thanks, taking it. The adult then left the two teens alone, saying he’d head upstairs.

“Sunny, I…look, why don’t you stay over, tonight? You can borrow some of my clothes for tomorrow, okay?”

The ex-unicorn shook her head. “No, but thanks.” She briefly hugged Pinkie, and headed for the door. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

Pinkie’s hair seemed to deflate. “I’m sorry.”

Sunset gave her friend a wan smile as she headed out the door. “It wasn’t you. It was me. And I’m tired of it always being _me_.” Nothing more to say, she grabbed her jacket, then walked out the door as she fished out the key to her bike lock.

  


Pinkie waited until Sunset rode off before locking the door and turning off the café lights, heading upstairs to the second-floor residence. Waiting there for her was Cup, with a bowl of chicken soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. “Do you want to talk about it, sweetie?” the matron asked her niece.

Pinkie sat down at the kitchen table, looking at her aunt forlornly. “No…but I wish Sunny would. I wish I knew what to do to help.”

“Some people need help, just like you did when you came to live with us,” Cup said, sitting down at the table as well. “But some people want to figure out their own way in life, and they never really do until it hurts. It sounds like that’s what your friend’s going through right now.”

“I know,” Pinkie said softly. “That’s what worries me.”


	62. 7DSJ Book 1 Ch.3

# October 4: Love Me 'Til I Die, My Heart Won't Wait

The blustery winds of autumn blew, scattering leaves of a fiery cascade of hues throughout the path. A twisting spiral of a breeze shuttled along group of nature’s detritus, veined ovals of gold blushed with red, on a journey that seemed to have no beginning and no real end, forever a remnant of a bygone year that would be soon buried by a cascading white, only to be forgotten once more with the resilient green of spring.

As she watched the dead foliage scatter down the sidewalk as they departed the shelter of the park she walked past, Sunset knew the whole experience was character building…in the most negative and positive senses of the word. Positive because she’d finally returned Snail’s sister’s bike…but ultimately negative, because said sister just happened to be picking her younger brother up from school at the time. Spirogyra was a college student and had almost taken a swing at Sunset for “humiliating” her little brother; only Sunset’s supposed younger age prevented it. As it was, Sunset no longer had any means of getting places, and what was originally a twenty minute bike ride home was now a two-hour walk through some of the seedier parts of Canterlot – not exactly crack dens, but clearly where the lower-class residents of the city lived.

_The existence of the southern neighborhoods must’ve clearly been after 1974,_ Sunset recalled, _or at least whenever Canterlot won “America’s Most Beautiful Neighborhoods” award._ She’d seen the plaque at City Hall during an Eighth Grade fieldtrip; back then she had wondered if that would be the first thing she did when she conquered Equestria – ban ugliness on fear of death or worse. Now? The ex-unicorn bitterly admitted to herself that her internal ugliness back then would have made her the first thing to go under the pogrom.

  


She’d just passed the corner of Greenleaf and Papermill when she heard the screech of tires. Looking up, she saw a bunch of punks in a car – _Okay, seriously, how the hell can you look cool in a Hyundai Accent?_ – pestering someone. A second later, she saw…

“Fluttershy?” Sunset rushed over to the shy girl’s side. _What is she doing in Brookestone?_

“That’s okay, I don’t need any help,” she told the boys as she walked. Sunset was still far enough away that the animal-lover wasn’t aware that the flamehaired girl was behind her.

“Oh, yes you _do_ , sweet thang,” one of the boys said, hanging out the window and all but leering at Fluttershy’s sizeable chest. “Why don’t you join us in the ride an’ we’ll get you to where we’re going.” Sunset noted that the boy leaning out of the car wore a varsity jacket from Sunnytown High, which didn’t really surprise her; it was in Sunnytown, after all, and that run-down hellhole of a suburb featured plenty of idiots supreme like the guy blatantly hitting on Fluttershy.

“Oh, _there_ you are, sweetie,” Sunset purred as she walked over to Fluttershy, putting an arm around her waist. “Sorry guys, she’s taken,” Sunset said, leaning in just a little close to Fluttershy.

“Wh-wha…?” Fluttershy began, her eyes widening as she felt Sunset move her hand down and pat her butt.

“Hey, the more the merrier, so wanna entertain us, too?” the jock said.

“No, this body is mine,” Sunset said, pointing at herself, “and _hers_ , too.”

“C’mon, you ain’t foolin’ anyone,” another guy in the car replied. “Now get your ass in here and bring Miss Tits with you.”

Sunset smiled. “Or I could just do this.” She then pointed her left hand at them. Except what the guys didn’t see was a hand, but _a hand holding a pistol_. “Now you boys go home or I’ll have to use it.”

“You think you scare me with that plastic-ass shi—”

BANG

Sunset pulled the barrel to her face, blowing away the smoke. In the direction where she’d fired, a newspaper stand had a very prominent hole. She then leveled it back at the guys. “You don’t want to make that mistake _again_ , do you?” In her other arm, she felt a sudden tug of gravity as Fluttershy, doing what came natural to her, passed out in shock.

As the squeal of tires faded as the car rushed off into the distance, Sunset gently helped Fluttershy to the ground with both hands, even as the gun in her hand vanished into cyan sparkles briefly before disappearing; likewise, the hole in the newspaper stand did as well…as did the structure itself.

_So glad they were paying more attention to Fluttershy’s shirt than their surroundings,_ Sunset said with a grimace. She then tapped a cyan-charged finger on Fluttershy’s forehead. “Fluttershy? You okay?”

The moment she opened her eyes, the expected result happened. The chiffon-haired teen rushed back, practically crawling away on her hands and feet in an inverted crabwalk, until she ran up hard against a lightpole. She continued looking at Sunset with a mixture of fear and worry, and seeing that on the gentle girl’s face nearly broke Sunset’s heart.

“Fluttershy, what are you doing here?” Sunset asked.

She hadn’t quite recovered yet. “Where’s your gun? And why did you tell them that we wer—”

“It was clear they were harassing you, so I tried to help,” Sunset clarified. “The gun and the shot was a magical illusion, I didn’t have a gun on me and nobody got hurt, I promise.”

“Really?”

“Fluttershy, you’re a friend.” _I hope._ “Why would I let you get hurt? And given that I’ve changed my ways, why would I want to hurt anyone?” Sunset reached down and offered her friend a hand. She wondered if Fluttershy would take it.

Thankfully that was the case. “That’s good to know,” Fluttershy smiled sweetly. “What are you doing here?”

“I, _er_ , was looking for a new place,” Sunset lied, knowing full well she could see the factories and warehouses of the industrial district, just a half-mile down the road from where they stood, and just by the train tracks in the barely visible distance, her own warehouse home. “Have to find something affordable with my new job, you know. What about you?”

“Oh. I was just coming back from dropping off Mrs. Parlophone’s dog,” Fluttershy explained. “She mostly lives alone and Puppytails and I take turns coming to see her. Since Rex needed a walk anyway, I walked him here from the animal shelter.”

“Who’s Puppytails? And the animal shelter’s around here?”

“The animal shelter’s about seven blocks up, over on Skyline. As for Puppytails…he’s my boss at the animal shelter,” Fluttershy said as she blushed. The look on Fluttershy’s face indicated that it was one of _those_ kinds of things, and Sunset opted to leave it alone, knowing full well in the past she would have found some way to antagonize Fluttershy about her crush, if not outright blackmail her about it.

“Hey, do you want to go get some coffee?” Sunset offered.

Fluttershy nodded. “That’d be nice, thanks. I know a place a block away, if you’d like.”

“Works for me. Lead the way.”

Several minutes later, the pair were at Knickerbocker’s, a café nestled in an old building. From Fluttershy’s comment, the building was around during the days that Canterlot had been named “Poverty Flats” back in the 19th Century. Sunset had a _dulce de leche_ mocha, while Fluttershy, never one for coffee, sipped on a hot caramel apple cider instead. And while Sunset had to admit that the coffee at her own place of work was better, this place wasn’t bad. If the Sugarcube Corner Café ever planned to expand, and this place went under, Sunset would have to suggest to Pinkie’s aunt and uncle to buy this place out.

Fluttershy looked utterly serene in the faded fabric of the booth as she sipped her drink. “I’m…sorry, Sunset,” she said, both unexpectedly and simply, as though the phrase was a mere statement of fact.

“Sorry, what for? If anything, I should be apologizing to you for not cluing you into what I was doing to chase those punks off.”

“No, it’s not about that, I appreciate that,” she said with a smile. “It’s just…well, up until recently, I was afraid of you.”

_Afraid of me?_ Something in the back of Sunset’s mind snapped; sooner or later, there was going to be a price to pay for the horrible things she’d done to the girls that had become her friends, and now that day had come. “Fluttershy, I…understand. If you don’t want to be friends, I’ll underst—”

“Oh, no! It’s not that!” the chiffon-haired teen said suddenly, waving her hands frantically and almost knocking over her drink in the process. “I mean, I was afraid of you, Sunset, and I think I had good reason to be. But…it’s been unfair of me to not give you a chance these past couple of weeks. I haven’t been kind enough to do so, and most of the time I wanted to just run away and hide, because I felt that any moment, you were going to wait until we all had our guard down and let us have it again, just like in the old days before Homecoming...well, changed everything, I guess?”

Guilt hit Sunset hard at that point – she knew Fluttershy was the most sensitive of their group, and knew it well – it was the reason why she’d verbally abused the poor girl more than anyone else; the only thing Sunset could have done worse was if she’d made that abuse physical as well. But even that was a line she never had been willing to cross, thankfully.

Unaware of the other girl’s thoughts, Fluttershy continued. “But…we made a promise to Twilight that we would help you learn how to be a better person and friend, and I don’t think I could face her again if I didn’t do what I could to hold to that promise. But even more than that, you’re truly different given the past two weeks, and you deserve to be treated fairer than I have been willing to be with you so far. So…I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”

Sunset smiled. “Of course, Fluttershy. What are friends for, right?” In return, she was rewarded with a huge, friendly grin that almost seemed more at home on Pinkie than the shy teen.

The following day was a Saturday, and Sunset woke up feeling a slight chill in the air. That chill meant one thing and one thing only: the heater had broken down again, which for a decrepit building happened more than she liked. Given the combined issues that she couldn’t use magic to fix it nor could she hire someone for obvious reasons, it meant she had to climb up to the outdated tin can and pull a DIY on the thing. Fortunately, that wasn’t an issue; over the years of living here, she’d learned to be handy with tools – which were in plentiful amounts in this abandoned warehouse – and had gotten confident enough in her hoofipo… _handyman_ – and how did _that_ term somehow escape gender neutralization? – that if she’d been born human she might’ve entertained thoughts a career in construction.

Shoving a lukewarm poptart in her mouth to get breakfast out of the way, she threw on a pair of coveralls she’d stolen years ago from the janitor’s closet at Central Junior High. Looking like someone that would have been part of the employees here in the warehouse’s heyday, she stepped out of her quarters and clambered up the ladder and into the rafters of the decrepit warehouse. The main junction to the heating system was close to the center of the warehouse, so she had to stick to a pathway she’d added a foot-adherence spell to in order to prevent falling to her death.

_I’m just glad I’m not an earth pony,_ she thought as she climbed onto the rafter struts and looked down briefly. _They get vertigo like no tomorrow, if not outright acrophobia._ Besides, she liked being in the air; it was a joy, and she often wondered if one, if not both, of her birth parents had been pegasi. In any case, she always enjoyed being in the skies or at least floating above the ground, and flying with Celestia had been a favored pastime of her youth.

Sunset winced at the memory. It had been a trip to Cloudsdale that had helped spur her love of flying, and though she’d never admitted it to anyone, tone of the reasons she’d initially wanted to ascend was so she could fly with Celestia someday, using her own wings. But now that dream was as far gone as her chances of ever returning to Equestria itself, or at least returning safely; a dream that had been killed by Sunset’s own greed and shameless ambition. The mare that she had once looked up to as a mother viewed her now as a monster and possibly even worth eradicating. And given the realization over the past fortnight of what she’d done, she’d be hard-pressed to argue against those thoughts.

Sunset shook her head to clear out the thought pattern. _Not anything to think about, filly, while you’re up here,_ she reminded herself. _Just fix the unit and you can get back to whatever plans you had today. Not that they were much, anyway._ As a gesture of friendship, Sunset had offered to help Fluttershy fix one of the dog kennels at the animal shelter. Even still, it would give time for the two teens to get to be comfortable around each other, especially if they were going to hang around with one another outside of school.

  


Twenty minutes later, Sunset had made the repairs and was getting ready to move from her spot when she heard the sound of metal sliding open and voices. Moving quietly to get a better view of their source, she carefully used an illusion spell to hide her presence as she watched the proceedings down below. Once she moved into a position where she could see clearly, what she saw horrified her.

A bunch of kids had snuck into the warehouse and were now doing something to a puppy. The small thing, a soft, brown-coated dog of a breed that Sunset wasn’t familiar with at all – a small puff of a pup – was being thrown around like a football by a bunch of brats. The pup yelped for help, the only thing it could do as it was too young to really defend itself, and even if it managed to bite one of the boys, the way they were acting virtually guaranteed that making them angry would result in much more violent abuse.

Sunset knew she had to do something, but from this high up, she couldn’t just jump down to help – she didn’t have that kind of power anymore. Worse, even if she could, her sudden appearance might put her home at risk; one of the boys might retaliate by reporting to the authorities about her presence in the old building. But an idea suddenly came to her, and as she moved slowly towards the access ladder closest to where the boys were, she charged up the spells. It would probably drain her for a few hours, but it was more than worth it.

  


In possession of the airborne pup, the abusive quartet was laughing as hard as possible while watching the dog’s flight as it was in utter distress…

…right up until the point where it landed in the smallest boy’s hand, growled, and leapt out of his hands, onto the ground…

…and turned into a six-foot dog-like giant. The creature stared at the disbelieving kids with sulfurous, slitted eyes and growled, baring a full set of needle-sharp teeth.

**“GET OUT,”** it said in a snarl that boomed like a cannon, the cavernous interior of the building giving the command an extra reverbration. As the boys now realized the tables had turned in the worst way, the creature bent down and roared. Had anybody been watching the exterior of the building, they would have heard what might have been mistaken for a dragon within, followed by four adolescents trying to break the sound barrier as they raced outside, tears of fright streaming from their faces.

Sunset gave it a second, then climbed down and released the spell. She wasn’t sure if she’d gotten the diamond dog likeness right, but given reaction of the children, the result had been more than desired anyway. Remembering what little she could about her first experiences with Philomena – she’d never had a pet of her own, but she’d played with Celestia’s phoenix whenever she could as a filly – she approached the pup carefully, using what little magic she had left to conjure a small piece of beef jerky.

The dog looked at her oddly; no surprise there, as animals had different senses than humans did – something Sunset knew all too well due to her still equine-level hearing – and it must have realized that she was different despite her human form. It looked nervous, as waiting for her to strike out or worse. A part of Sunset winced inside, knowing that the dog had unintentionally reminded her of all the damage she’d done to others over the years.

However, the pup also noticed the distress she was now in and took that as a sign of relative safety, oddly enough. Cautiously moving toward Sunset’s outstretched hand and the jerky in her fingers, it sniffed carefully, then bit into it, yapping and wagging its tail happily. Sunset bent down to pick it up and was rewarded by the rescuee leaping into her arms and licking her face in gratitude.

She giggled. “Okay, pup, you have to have come from _somewhere_ ,” she said as she gently carried it to her living quarters. “Maybe I can ask a friend for help.” Setting her fragile cargo down on the cleanest part of the floor, Sunset grabbed her phone and hit one of the speed dial numbers.

_“Uh, hello?”_ the soft voice on the other side spoke. _“Sunset?”_

“Fluttershy! I’m glad I was able to get hold of you!” Sunset chirped. “Look, I need a favor, and you’re the only one who can help me with it….”

To say that the pup took a liking to Fluttershy was a gross understatement when the two were introduced an hour later. “Aww, you’re so cute!” she cooed, setting the pup down on the examining table. “Okay, now sit here for just a second while I check you out. I promise this won’t hurt.” She then reached underneath the table and pulled out a scanner gun similar to those used at supermarkets.

“What are you doing?” Sunset asked.

“Playing a hunch,” the chiffon-haired girl replied with a smile. “The little fella looks like a purebred Pomeranian, and those can be pretty expensive, so he’s probably not from the neighborhood. I’m hoping that he’s had a PIT injection.”

“PIT?”

“It’s short for ‘pet identification tag,’ much like a bar code. Only, in this case, it’s an identity chip people use on their pets when they’re lost.”

“Ah, gotcha.” The idea of a pet, or any creature really, having a unique identifying feature registered a pang of regret in the back of Sunset’s mind. After all, it could have been said that cutie marks were similar as no pony had the exact same one even if from a distance they looked similar. Sunset’s own mark had been a two-colored sun that partially mimicked the one Princess Celestia bore on her flank, something the ex-unicorn had always believed to be an indication of her great destiny. Only, she no longer bore it save the days when she wore the shirt upon which she’d obsessively redrawn it, as humans didn’t come with natural butt tattoos.

The device beeped, and Fluttershy looked at the device’s screen. “His name is Mr. Bear, and we have a reference ID we can check his data against.” She went over to the desk, slipping the scanner in a cradle next to one of the shelter’s outdated work computers. “Hrm…it says that he was reported missing about a week ago. Fortunately, there’s a number we can call.” She reached over to the phone and dialed the number. “Hello, is there a Mrs. Westminster Show there?...Good morning, ma’am, this is the South Canterlot Animal Shelter—…Yes, we’ve found your lovely little pet an—…Yes, we’re open all day. Our address is 2347 Skyview Road…Yes, ma’am, we’ll see you in a bit. See you soon! Bye.”

Twenty minutes later, Sunset bore witness to an emotionally-overwhelmed moment. An old, refined woman who, based on her clothing and the fact that she drove up in a Lexus was from one of the richer parts of town, held Mr. Bear close as she practically cried a storm of joy. “Oh, I was so afraid that I’d lost my little pookikins when he disappeared from my yard. Please, where did you find him?”

“Oh, we didn’t find him, ma’am,” Fluttershy answered as she gestured to Sunset. “Actually, this young woman brought him in.”

The woman set Mr. Bear down gently before shaking Sunset’s hand profusely. “How can I ever thank you? A reward! You deserve a reward for your efforts!” The woman proceeded to dig in her purse before Sunset had a chance to respond and fished out some bills. “It’s not much, really, but please! I can’t even _begin_ to thank you enough, young lady!”

Sunset’s eyes widened the moment she saw the corners of at least two of the bills. _That’s_ at least _three hundred dollars! What the?_

“Well, I’ve got to get my dear little pookikins home! We’ve been so worried about him!” the woman said, taking Sunset’s hands and wrapping them around the wad of cash, then proceeded to pick her dog up and give both girls a smile. “I’ll be sure to make a large donation to the Shelter Foundation the first chance I get, I can promise you that!” Happy as a clam, the woman departed.

As the car drove off, Fluttershy grinned. “You did a good thing, Sunset, and I can’t even….” She paused to look at her friend. “Sunset? Are you…okay?”

To Sunset, Fluttershy might as well not have said a word, the shock of what she held having turned her pale as a sheet. “Seven. Hundred. Dollars,” Sunset said, numbly. “This is…this is more than my monthly pay!”

“You reunited a broken family, Sunset,” Fluttershy said with a warm smile. “You earned that, if only for doing something that you wouldn’t have ever done before.”

“I know,” Sunset said with a nod. “And because you came out here way earlier than your shift for me, I think I’m going to do something else as well. You free for lunch today?”


	63. 7DSJ Book 1 Ch.4

# October 18: Soon I Will Be Loved...

Sunset barely paid attention to the class. She was tired of the class going on right now anyway. It was a debate session, and while she managed to put together something reasonable, she really didn’t know about Menlo Wizard or Mechanical Resonance and how the former ripped off the latter or whatever. She was sure that it would be interesting in a movie, or a rap battle or something but right now she was busy doing something important.

Today she had plans. Since Pinkie was headed out of town on a cheerleading exhibition that would last until late tomorrow afternoon, her aunt and uncle went with her and so the Sugarcube Corner café was closed for today and tomorrow. Additionally, Applejack’s family was up in Oregon today helping a family friend with something, leaving the elder two Apple siblings to run the store. Since she was home, that gave Applejack a chance to invite her friends over for pizza and movies, but in the end, Fluttershy had to watch her brother while her mother was working the night shift, Rarity had to decline due to “the monthly inconvenience” and Rainbow was currently in the _on_ phase of her on/off relationship with Soarin’ and so they were on a date tonight. That meant that only Sunset had accepted Applejack’s invitation to come over.

Her phone buzzed, and very carefully, she pulled it out to see a message from Applejack: _Meet around 5 at the statue?_

Sunset responded, _Could we meet somewhere else? That statue kinda gives me the creeps. It is the way to my homeworld, you know._ Truthfully, it wasn’t so much the statue that gave her the creeps so much as it was the chance that somehow, Celestia could find a way to override the mirror’s time protection and that would be the end of her. Since then, Sunset made every effort possible to avoid being near the statue when she could, and nowhere near the school at all if there weren’t enough people around that she could rely on to help her if Equestria invaded.

_Though I suspect they’d clap if Royal Guards arrested me and dragged me back,_ she sighed sadly.

The phone buzzed again. _Sure. Meet at the store, since it’s close, and I can give you a lift to my place._

Sunset’s fingers flew against the gorilla glass of her phone. _Deal. See you then._

“Ms. Shimmer!” a voice suddenly cried. Sunset looked up to see the face of Ms. Conundrum. “Since you insist on wasting my time, I shall waste yours.” She pointed at the door. “Go. You have an appointment with the vice principal, and I can assure you she will not be happy about that.”

Sighing, Sunset gathered her books, got up from the chair and headed towards an all-too-familiar office.

Nearly thirty minutes later of sitting in front of Ms. Luna’s desk and the educator ignoring her in favor of what sounded like Angry Birds. Finally, unable to take it anymore, Sunset asked, “Ms. Luna? Are you going to acknowledge me?”

“That depends,” the woman said, without even looking up from her phone. “Are you planning to give me an actual reason why you aren’t bothering to pay attention in class?” Finally, she then set down the phone and stared straight at the teen. “Let’s get something straight, Sunset Shimmer. You don’t belong here. And I am not saying that lightly, I really mean it: You are not human, you are not of this world and you _do not_ belong here. Why that alien princess didn’t take her along with you when she returned to your home dimension is beyond me. If you were to ask the opinion of myself and Principal Celestia, we would have wholeheartedly sent you back. You are, frankly, more trouble than you’re worth, and you are now an outright threat to people, whether or not anyone can believe or even remember it.” She shook her head as if nursing a headache. “How you managed to make everyone forget about what you really are is highly disturbing.”

Sunset looked down. “I didn’t do that. I think Princess Twilight did,” she admitted reluctantly.

“If that’s the case, I suspect that was her way of giving you a second chance – a second chance that I do not believe you deserve. And if I understood her correctly, the portal to your world only opens every two and a half years, which is, in my opinion, far too long to give you any rope to hang the faculty and student body with.”

“Ms. Luna, you may not believe me, but I have changed. You don’t know what it’s like being hit by the Elements of Harmony – I can’t describe it except maybe to say that reliving what I did to others is an understatement of an explanation. I have learned my lesson.”

“I doubt it.” The woman leaned forward, her long, starry midnight-blue hair brushing against the desk. “If you were an ordinary student, you would have been gone a long time ago – either expelled to the alternative high school in Sunnytown, or outright kicked out of the school system entirely. And if I were any less of a moral person, I would have turned you over to the Federal Government, except that I don’t know if that’s safe. So we are stuck with an alien who has been more destructive than any student I have ever dealt with before in my career.

“I don’t know what it takes to get through to you, but I hope to God that what Mr. Will saw the other day was genuine. Because if you _ever_ put another person in jeopardy _ever again_ , morals or not, I will find some way to expel you back to your homeworld.” The look in Luna’s eyes was severe enough that it was clear she meant business.

_“You wouldn’t!”_ Sunset cried, more out of surprise than a clear head. If she’d been thinking, she would’ve known that it was impossible for a non-magical species like humans to do so, but the thought of being sent back to Equestria was panic-inducing.

Luna grinned, but there was no mirth in that rictus. “Ah, so you’re just as much a delinquent there as you are here. Small wonder the princess didn’t take you back, then – you’re an exile.” She then sighed and the anger seemed to deflate out of her. “Why? That’s all I want to know. Why?”

“Why I’m an exile?” Sunset inquired.

“No – why you’re so self-destructive.” Luna was quiet for a second before she said, “I knew a girl like you, once, a cruel and destructive firebrand. You see, she couldn’t live up to the popularity of her older sister, who was the most beloved girl in her high school. The older sister was that school’s queen bee, you could say, but unlike your particular stripe of that behavior, the older sister in this case was a paragon of generosity, friendliness and kindness. I suppose you could call her ‘the girl next door’, if you’re familiar with that cliché. Both sisters grew up with a friend who treated both of them like equals, despite the four-year age difference between the two siblings. But, high school being the way it is, naturally separated the trio.

“Finally, as the younger sister entered high school during the elder’s senior year, she longed to have the respect and admiration her sister and their best friend had. Unfortunately, it was not to be; the younger sister wasn’t as beautiful back then as the older, stuck behind thick glasses, acne and, truth be told, a slight bit on the overweight side. Angry that her expectations were dashed, she fell in with the wrong crowd: punks, rockers, metalheads, that sort of thing. She dyed her hair, started dressing like a slut despite really not having the body for it, and even though the course of the year she lost weight, her skin cleared up and she began to become quite a looker herself, she was determined to be the school idol, and if she couldn’t do it her sister’s way, she’d do it _her_ way. And her way, sadly, was much like your own.”

“What happened to her?” Sunset asked.

“It finally came to a head between the sisters when the faculty, assuming the younger sister would listen to the elder, made a play for one to talk to the other about her behavior. After all, the sisters’ parents were influential people in the town, the sort of people that made others worry about their jobs if they said the wrong word. The older sister agreed to talk to the younger, but…well, it went wrong. The younger sister swore she would take her sister’s place – as queen bee, as prom queen, as everything. The older sister tried to convince the younger that the path was wrong, but being human means…well, being _human_ , and so the older sister eventually lost her temper as well.

“To this day, the best friend doesn’t really know who threw the first punch. Only that the younger sister, who happened to be enraged, was practically willing to hospitalize her sister if it meant deposing her – teenagers really don’t think clearly, as you’re well aware. The older sister, however, despite taking blows and bruises, ultimately ended the fight by breaking her sister’s arm, breaking her rule of fear as well…but making the younger sister terrified of the older.” Luna was quiet. “The younger sister ended up spending the week at the best friend’s house because she was too afraid to even go home. It finally took the best friend to sit both sisters down for a day and let them talk. It was enough to solve the immediate problem, but the sisters were never really as close to each other after that. Since then, though they love each other, they’re as different as night and day.”

Sunset sat and digested this. “You were the best friend, weren’t you?”

Luna didn’t answer her, but instead said, “It is something I never hope to see again in my lifetime, and I would never want to see another girl tread down that dark path – a path you’re on now, Ms. Shimmer. But I fear it won’t end up as easy for you. You are alone here, and unless you change your ways, it will not end well for you.” She pointed to the door. “I have now wasted an hour of my time talking to you… _again_. If you truly are changing, please make sure this is the _last_ time I see you in here.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sunset replied, rising from the chair and walking towards the door.

“Yer quiet tonight, Sunset. Something wrong?” Applejack asked. The two had just finished off a pizza and were playing videogames instead of watching movies.

“Not really,” Sunset replied, setting down the controller. “Wow, this game is harder than I thought.”

Applejack smiled. “And here Ah thought you were the game player,” she cracked. But her smile disappeared. “Ah heard you got in trouble again, ended up in Ms. Luna’s office.”

“Yeah. And it’s partially your fault.” Sunset then explained what put here there, and as she did, Applejack groaned.

“Sorry ‘bout that, girl,” she replied. “But that don’t answer mah question.”

“Just…I wonder if I’ll ever have a chance to prove myself, or it’s time to move on.” When Applejack’s brows went up in surprise, Sunset nodded. “People want me gone, AJ. The faculty wants me gone, the students want me gone – face it, not a single person wants me here.”

“What about us?”

Sunset’s reply was a weary grin. “You girls mean a lot to me, in more ways than I can ever say. You’ve given me a second chance…but a second chance is worthless when there’s nobody around to see that you’re taking it.”

“Are you doing it for us, or yourself?”

“I don’t know. I want to be a better person now – looking back, I was on the path to Tartarus and didn’t even know it. Now that I can see, I don’t want to be on that road again. But it’s not just for me: I have a lot to make up to people. To you girls. To people like Derpy Hooves, Lyra Heartstrings, Minuette, and countless others. I have to prove that I’m better than what the rumors say. I have to prove…well, I know this sounds weird given what I really am, but I have to prove I’m just human and that a girl like me can change.”

“An’ how are you gonna prove that if’n you leave, Sunset?” Applejack accused. “That’s not changing, that’s running away. An’ the girl Ah know, then or now, ain’t no coward.”

“Or maybe I am, and I never really knew it until now…because I don’t have anyone to turn to. I’m shut off from my own world, and I have nobody here.”

Applejack leaned forward and said simply, “You. Have. Us.” The determination in her eyes was fierce and made Sunset pause. “Ah see Ah got yer attention,” the blonde then said with a smile. “Sunset, Ah don’t know what yer family life was like, but Ah promise that we’re never gonna leave ya hanging. Don’t bail on us, sugarcube.”

“I didn’t think you guys actually cared.”

“Because we’ve really only been friends fer, what, a month? The rest of us girls have known each other fer a long time – an’ in the case o’ Flutters and Rainbow, pretty much since they were kids. Yer gonna need time, Sunset.”

“I don’t know if I have that time,” the other girl insisted. “I feel like everything’s closing in on me, and that I’m one short step away from disaster.”

“Maybe so, maybe not,” came the response. “Ah remember when mah Ma an’ Pa were nearly killed in that accident. Ah always feared that Ah was almost out of time with them. But the good Lord dun met mah needs, our needs, an’ mah parents came about.”

“Sorry, but I just don’t have that kind of faith,” Sunset told her. “I know you’re religious, but…I guess you could say my personal faith is, well, _personal_ , but for different reasons.”

“Y’ ponies believe in a god?”

Sunset nodded. “You might not believe it, but I was raised by her. And I _don’t_ mean in a metaphorical sense.”

Applejack wasn’t quite sure how to react to that; it seemed both logical and blasphemous at the same time. So instead, she replied, “Ah see. An’ y’ spent all yer thirty pieces o’ silver?” When Sunset looked confused, Applejack said, “Nevermind. Just…trust this gal when Ah say that just keep straight an’ true, and sooner or later, good things’ll come.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Sunset looked at the time. “Man, didn’t realize it was that late already. I guess I’d better get going.”

“Nope,” Applejack replied. “It’s two-damn-thirty in the mornin’, sugarcube, an’ Ah ain’t lettin’ a friend suffer like that. Ah’ll go set up th’ guest room – yeah, this house ain’t so crowded we don’t have one – an’ lend you a set of mah PJs.” Applejack then went over and hugged Sunset. “We’re all together in this. We ain’t lettin’ ya go, Sunset, an’ that’s all there is to that.”

Sunset happily returned the embrace. “Thanks, AJ.”

Laying in the bed of the guest bedroom, though it was by far and away the comfiest bed she’d ever slept on – Flash’s bed included – she got no sleep, instead looking out at the clear night sky and the pale moon was full. She could feel the power from its apex sliding into her, recharging her batteries and yet she didn’t feel better.

Instead, she got out of bed and moved to the window, looking at the silken expanse at night. For some reason, it vaguely reminded her of Ms. Luna’s hair, but she put that out of her mind. She needed a clear mind for what she wanted to do.

“Listen, your majesty – Princess – I’m sorry. Maybe I’ll never be able to tell you in person, or if I do it’ll be just before my death, but…I’m sorry. I’m tired of the loneliness, of the nightmares, of being at the bottom of the barrel. I don’t even want to be on top anymore – I don’t even want to be a princess anymore. I just…I just want….” She couldn’t finish the words; she still didn’t know what she wanted.

“If you can hear this, somehow…if you ever really loved me…. Just end this pain. Please, just end it. I don’t care how. But I can’t live my life like this anymore. I have friends now – I think – and a chance at turning everything around, not to be a conqueror, but just to be me: Sunset Shimmer, and whoever I’ll be on this world.”

She moved away from the window, done. She never recited the chants and missals that the priests of the Celestine Order insisted were in gratitude to the Princess of All. And why should she? Celestia admitted she never liked them, and that if she had her way, she’d be just a princess, instead of so much more.

_Just have faith, AJ said._ The words haunted Sunset. _Fine. My friends believe in me? I’ll take that chance. What could go wrong?_

She regretted those words the following morning. The day had started okay enough: Applejack had made breakfast, and her and Sunset, along with Macintosh and his girlfriend Sweetcream Scoops – who Applejack had promised she wouldn’t say anything about the fact that she’d stayed over – chatted breezily over apple-stuffed French toast. Since Sunset’s plan was to go home, get some of the money she’d earned two weeks ago and go buy a bike, she couldn’t stay long. Scoops, who had to head home, offered to give Sunset a lift home, but given that she still hadn’t had the courage to tell her friends the truth about her living situation, declined, saying it was a nice enough day and she needed the walk in order to burn the calories off. Sunset walked a mile to the nearest bus stop, then caught the southbound, headed towards the southern districts of town.

About a block away, Sunset got off, stopping at a convenience store to grab some sodas, figuring on walking the last half-mile home. It was then that she saw a plume of smoke rise into the air, as well as a dull roar akin to something like an earthquake. Dropping her package, she ran as fast as she could, rushing past crumbling buildings and gutted warehouses, hoping that nothing had happened to her last haven. And as she arrived at the abandoned warehouse that had been her home, watching the crumbled concrete and broken rebar began to settle, Sunset Shimmer wiped tears from her eyes, wondering how she’d come so close to changing her stripes – and now had everything thrown back in her face, despite her vow to change.

Somewhere under the rubble was everything she owned, the meager possessions she’d built up over the past four years. Thankfully, she’d left her schoolbooks in her locker, but that was a small comfort: just about everything the former unicorn had spent years creating herself into a young woman named Sunset Shimmer was gone, leaving her once again as an enigma and question mark in the world. And now, despite everything she’d hoped for, all was gone.

She couldn’t cry. She didn’t have the strength left to do so. She could go to work and probably convince Pinkie to let her stay over for the night; Fluttershy was also a possibility as well, but the question hung in the air: what after that? Where could she go? To tell the truth was at best madness, or worse, could reveal that she wasn’t the real Sunset Shimmer of this world. And what if they found the actual Sunset Shimmer? Would some girl in Chicago, Vancouver or El Paso suddenly wonder why she had a doppelganger assuming her life in the town she once lived in? And if so, what would be the former pony’s ultimate fate then?

She was so focused on her misfortune that she barely felt the tap on her shoulder. She turned to find a police officer standing there, looking at her with eyes that seemed to bore into her soul. She read the thin plastic nameplate on his deep-blue shirt: S. ARMOR.

THE BEGINNING....

**Author's Note:**

Why did I write this? No real reason, save that something felt right about doing it. Well, we all know where Sunny ended up.

But what is Twily's fate?

Tune in next week!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for the Prequel. Next is the first chapter of 7dsj book 1


	64. 7DSJ Book 1 Ch.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go. Chapter 1 of Seven Days In Sunny June by Shinzakura

# October 19: When It Falls

As the crumbled concrete and broken rebar began to settle, Sunset Shimmer wiped tears from her eyes, wondering how she’d come so close to changing her stripes – and now had everything thrown back in her face, despite her vow to change.

It had been just about four years ago that she’d been the prized pupil of Princess Celestia, Mistress of the Sun and Moon and Regent of Equestria, the pony powerful enough to hurtle the celestial bodies in their orbits around their world. To be chosen as her protégée was an honor above honors, especially for a simple filly from an orphanage, and for years under Celestia’s metaphorical and literal wing, the alicorn had been more than just a mentor – she’d become a mother figure to Sunset, enough so that at least once somepony broached the question of whether the princess had plans to outright adopt the young filly as her daughter. That thought in itself brought the unicorn a pride that she could never quite express.

But pride, sadly, always came before the fall, and it was in the nature of things for a daughter to eventually come to blows with her mother. And so it was with Sunset: eventually, blinded by her own growing talents and showered by the attention of the nobility due to her status as Celestia’s pupil, she became obsessed with the trappings of her station, consumed by power, and began disregarding the warnings of her mentor. With increasing frequency – and certainly without her mentor’s permission – Sunset had gazed into a mirror once owned by Princess Platinum, which depicted her as an alicorn above alicorns, far above her mentor – possibly even more powerful than Celestia’s vaunted mother, Faust, herself.

Eventually it came to blows, quite literally: Celestia, angry at Sunset’s repeated abuse of the authority given to her, sternly admonished the younger mare, only to be blasted by a bolt of magic from an enraged Sunset’s horn. Hurt by her pupil’s betrayal, Celestia did the only thing she could: she ordered the Guard to restrict Sunset to her room while the sun alicorn began the procedures to expel her from both her position and her duties. Unfortunately, the princess couldn’t have expected the rebellious unicorn to outwit her escorts and to flee through the very mirror she’d first glimpsed her ideal destiny in, a mirror which turned out to be _far_ more than a mere looking glass.

  


Eventually she arrived in a new reality, housed in a strange, non-equine body and a place with foreign and byzantine customs. And yet it was strangely familiar in its atmosphere: the City of Canterlot, while neither the capital of this world nor even its most important, seemed as though at times that it was here merely for Sunset’s comfort and succor – it had certainly been an eye-opener. Somehow, she’d found herself in the life of another girl with the same name as she, and so the former unicorn portrayed herself as somepon… _no_ , some _one_ who had run away from home the year before and had now returned. The truth, of course, had been different; Sunset had never determined what had happened to her counterpart in this world, but it was enough that she had a paper trail that the former pony could easily step into.

She’d parlayed that into a life, opting to continue her education at the local high school – which, much to her chagrin, was run by a headmistress which was entirely too much like the maternal figure she’d left behind. Even still, she determined to make the most of her life here and work her way to the apex of _this_ world; if she could not have the other, she _would_ have this one. She used everything in her arsenal to rise to the top, methods of both the carrot and the stick, and by her sophomore year had become the most socially influential person within the school – the kind of individual that even seniors, who longed to move beyond to the world of college, curried favor with and occasionally feared.

Even still, she knew her situation was precarious: no one had ever questioned where she lived or who her family was, and they never checked that the address she’d listed didn’t actually exist. Far from the supposed address of 11218 Primrose Court, Sunset’s _real_ address was quite a different one: 306 Industrial Road, specifically the former warehouse of Flim-Flam Bros. Manufacturing Co. The company had been an appliance maker decades ago, but whoever owned the building now clearly retained it for the value of the land, leaving the structure itself to rot. For Sunset, however, it was home – a hellhole of one, she’d readily admit to herself, but the only thing she could claim; and thankfully one where, due to the incompetence of some corporate stooge, the utilities had never been shut off in the small living quarters for overnight shift workers, giving Sunset the closest thing she could have to her own apartment.

But in the past few weeks, everything had fallen apart – _brutally_ so. Through divinations, she’d learned that she’d been replaced as Celestia’s student by another young mare named Twilight Sparkle…and the pony had become everything that Sunset felt she deserved, even to the point of ascension, becoming an alicorn! With that, at the first chance she had, Sunset returned to Equestria briefly to steal the new princess’ crown, and by that act, set herself on a course of wrack and ruin, which would ultimately end up with her being possessed by an evil power and having everything Celestia – _both_ Celestias, actually – warned her about thrown in her face…

…only to be saved by the pony that she hated most: Twilight Sparkle. It had been Twilight that had united the five girls Sunset had picked on the most and turned them into close friends within a matter of days. It had been the six of them together that had harnessed magic – something that was _not native_ to this reality – and undid Sunset’s wanton destruction and cured her of her demonic possession. It had been Twilight who had tasked the other girls to watch over Sunset, both as a type of jailer and an instructor, to lead her back to the path of light. And it had been Twilight that had asked Sunset to give not only the world but _her own self_ a second chance; to become a better individual, whether that individual was a pony or human.

Sunset found herself in the days after agreeing to that, paying her dues and penance, and reaching out to the others; she wasn’t completely sure they were her friends, not yet, but maybe in the future she could have that confidence – especially Pinkie, who had been kind enough to put in a good word with her aunt and uncle, landing Sunset an afternoon job at the Sugarcube Corner Café, since bullying students out of their money wasn’t going to be Sunset’s primary means of earning cash any longer.

In the days and weeks to follow, life became a little more bearable, a tiny bit more tolerable: while few remembered that she had been the cause of the school’s damage, they certainly remembered that she’d been upstaged at the school’s Homecoming and Fall Dance – though curiously, the identity of the person who upstaged her no one could really remember – and that the queen bee was now reduced to nothing but a mere drone. Had it not been for the other five girls, the sharks that had begun to swim around her would have most certainly moved in the direction of the blood in the water.

And as the leaves on the trees fell, signaling the switch from September to October, and autumn’s brisk breezes and crisp air heralded the changing of the seasons once more, Sunset felt she was almost free of her past. She’d never quite be free; she knew that her only safety was remaining here in exile away from the maternal figure she’d once scorned and the certain punishment that awaited her if she ever returned. But for as long as she kept to her side of the metaphysical line and did not wander back to a world that didn’t want her, she was safe and continue to live unmolested. And with her almost-friends by her side, she even dared to believe that she found a tiny bit of redemption for all she’d done, both there and here.

  


But life wasn’t as simple; there would always be a monkeywrench in the works.

  


Unbeknownst to her, an audit had discovered that a squatter had used the building. Going in while she was at school, they’d found her clothing and assumed it to be a flop-house or a crack den or who knew what. The easier thing to do would have been to lock the door and cancel the long-used utilities, writing off the latter as an unexpected expense for the past four years. But the building’s current owner decided it wasn’t worth the effort and opted to sell and let the new proprietor deal with the issue. They were more than covered by plausible deniability, anyway.

Either way, it mattered little: a wrecking crew was now here, tearing down the old building as well as a few other adjacent ones. Down the building went in a cloud of gray smoke, her bastion and sanctuary pulverized to dust by the swings of a wrecking ball and the not-at-all gentle ministrations of bulldozers and demolition engineers. And then, as if injury needed to be compounded by insult, on a slightly overgrown patch of land in front of the complex a second group of workers were erecting a sign proudly announcing that Barnyard Bargains Inc. would be building a new warehouse and distribution center in town, providing jobs and opportunity for the community.

Jobs and opportunity for others, yes. But for Sunset? Loss and hardship – somewhere under the rubble was everything she owned, the meager possessions she’d built up over the past four years. Thankfully, she’d left her schoolbooks in her locker, but that was a small comfort: just about everything the former unicorn had spent years creating herself into a young woman named Sunset Shimmer was gone, leaving her once again as an enigma and question mark in the world.

She couldn’t cry. She didn’t have the strength left to do so. She could probably convince Pinkie or Fluttershy to let her stay over for the night, but what after that? Where could she go? To tell the truth was at best madness, or worse, could reveal that she wasn’t the real Sunset Shimmer of this world. And what if they found the actual Sunset Shimmer? Would some girl in Chicago, Vancouver or El Paso suddenly wonder why she had a doppelganger assuming her life in the town she once lived in? And if so, what would be the former pony’s ultimate fate then?

She was so focused on her misfortune that she barely felt the tap on her shoulder. She turned to find a police officer standing there, looking at her with eyes that seemed to bore into her soul. She read the thin plastic nameplate on his deep-blue shirt: S. ARMOR.

_Great – one of those kind of cops who’s practically born for the job,_ she thought, glumly. Could her day get any worse than this?

“You know, miss,” he spoke in an oddly bemused tone, “we usually don’t get people down here on this side of town, especially on a Saturday afternoon. Usually only demolition workers are here, and while you’ve got the orange shirt down pat, leather jackets, skirts and knee-length boots aren’t typical OSHA-standard safety equipment.”

“Gee,” she drawled, her mouth working on overtime as usual, “I must’ve missed the memo.” The moment she’d completed her sentence, it was all she could do from facepalming; Principal Celestia had warned her repeatedly that her penchant for caustic sarcasm was going to get her in trouble someday – and it looked like that day had just arrived.

The cop, continuing to hold the stoic look on his face, folded his arms across his chest. “Way I see it?” he began, “You’re either really desperate to turn tricks if you’re working this part of town at this time of day, or based on the stuffed animal over there—” he pointed to a torn teddy bear sticking out from under a slab of concrete and glass, “—you were living in that warehouse. I’m going to take a guess and say it’s the latter, because if it’s the former, I _really_ am _not_ in the mood to write all the paperwork to explain why I just arrested an underage prostie.”

She didn’t say anything further, just looking at him, waiting for the cuffs to be slapped on and her life made worse. Countless seconds passed as she waited for his demand to put out her wrists so she could be shackled, or for him to lead her to the backseat of his police cruiser.

But instead, a patient smile suddenly etched itself on his face. “C’mon, we’re done here,” he said. “I was about to go get lunch, and you look like you could use some yourself.”

A few minutes later, they were having lunch at the Burger Shack. Seated by the window, Sunset looked particularly nervous, because she was just a block away from the Sugarcube Corner, and though she wasn’t scheduled to work today, all it would take would be Pinkie’s aunt or uncle walking past the Shack and getting the wrong idea about Sunset being with a police officer to end that job.

“So,” Armor said, looking at her, “tell me the truth: runaway or abandoned by your parents?”

“Don’t have any,” she told him. “No, I wasn’t abandoned, and I’m not a runaway.” _Technically, I’m a fugitive, not a runaway,_ she mused to herself, though she didn’t share that info. “I’m an orphan.”

“From where?” The cop’s answer was met with a silent stare, and he sighed. “Look, kid, I’m just trying to help, okay? Don’t give me a hard time.”

“And why should you care about me?”

“Well, one, it’s my job. And two, aside from that…I have a sister and a cousin, both about your age, and if they were in this situation, I know I’d hope that someone would care about their safety. Look, do you have _anyone_ you can turn to? It seems like you’re getting help from somebody.”

_“My age?”_ Oh, that was a point of contention with her if there ever was one: technically, she was almost thirty by her count, at least insofar as the Equestria Standard Calendar was concerned. But somewhere in the reality-shifting, morphing from pony to human bodyframe, and the like, when she stepped onto this world, she’d reverted in age by at least a dozen years or so, along with all the fun of having to relieve the biological “joys” of pubescence once more. Now, apparently sixteen – or so her faked ID stated – it always irked her that everyone assumed she was younger than she actually was…and every time she’d heard that, she found herself practically wanting to reach for a cider – and not of the non-alcoholic variety, either.

She gave him a vicious grin as she told him, “So what if I told you I was actually in my late twenties and that a magic spell made me look like I’m just barely north of fifteen?”

Of course, somehow he’d already expected that and had a pat answer ready: “I’d have to say you need to stop reading those _Spellbound_ novels that are popular with girls your age, since they seem to be a bad influence; also, you’d be an adult and I’d have to arrest you for trespassing at that abandoned warehouse,” he told her. “But anyone can clearly see you’re still just a high school student, so you’re lucky I’m not buying that. Anyway, _again_ , is there anyone you can turn to?”

“No, not really.” Now more than ever she didn’t want any of her “friends” to walk by the shack, not a single one of them. Not just because they’d think the worst, but she didn’t want to be responsible if one of them decided that they wanted to take pity on her and beg their parents – or in Pinkie’s case her aunt and uncle, since her family lived on a farm in Arkansas – to take her in. She was already a drain on them by dint of their vow to Princess Twilight Sparkle; how much worse would it be if she ended up living with one of them?

“So you’re getting your stuff by shoplifting, then?” he wondered aloud. “The mall _has_ reported a rash of thefts lately, and the main suspect is a girl, if I remember the videos on the security cameras….”

“ _No!_ Are you kidding? I’m in enough trouble as is!” she spat. If anything, she wouldn’t be surprised if it pointed to someone like the school’s resident juvenile delinquent, Gilda; as bad as others considered Sunset, she was merely a problem child, while in Gilda’s case, _there_ was a girl who was probably destined to spend extensive time behind bars in her adult years, if not worse.

The officer did not look convinced. “Then how did you—”

“There was a stash of money in the warehouse,” she interjected. Fortunately for her, that had been true: when she replaced the stained mattress she’d first used with another one from one of the unused beds in the factory bunkroom, she found a stash-hole in the first. Within it had been about $1000; it had been a fortune during the 70s or 80s, based on the age of the bills, but for a young woman alone in her first days in a new world? It was a fate’s wheel turning in her favor.

Seeing that he was still expecting clarification, she added, “Look, it was sitting there forever, and I’d been living there…awhile…so, finders keepers, right?”

“Okay, I’m going to let that one slide, since I’ve no idea if you’re telling the truth, and trying to find out is going to open a whole new can of worms on top of everything else.” He then stared at her again and asked, “You didn’t find _anything else_ in there, did you?”

“Yeah, I did, but I flushed it all down the toilet – I want nothing to do with that kind of stuff.” Admittedly, at first she had _no_ idea what they were, merely plastic bags filled with white powder and dried leaves, and she’d assumed it to be alchemical gear left behind by a shaman, similar to the zebras on her world. But as she didn’t want to risk that they could be volatile, she disposed of them. Years later, when she realized what they were, she was glad she got rid of them, though based on what she’d been told, she could have really used the money for what their street value had been.

“Smart kid,” he answered. “It’s clear that you’ve been taking care of yourself, and if I had to guess, you’re probably an alright person, just a kid on the rocks trying to escape some orphanage for some reason.” He took a sip of his soda, then finished off his burger before continuing. “Even still, you’re just a minor and that means you need help. So….”

“So?”

He shook his head and she heard him mutter under his breath, _“Can’t believe I’m even about to do this.”_ He then looked at her and said, “Look, I’m going to make a call outside, so I’ll be right back. Meanwhile, finish your lunch and you can wait right here.”

Once again, her mouth was running ahead of her brain: “And if I don’t?”

“Then you’d better hope you remembered everything you just told me, because you’ll be repeating the same thing in front of a judge at Juvenile Hall.” The tone of Armor’s voice indicated that he was serious, and in that statement Sunset realized she was now trapped. Wordlessly she nodded agreement, and with that, he stepped outside and pulled out his cellphone to make a call.

Seconds turned into minutes, and by the time he finished and went back in, the call was about thirty minutes of an agonizing wait, three of which were spent cringing into her seat as none less than _Applejack and Pinkie_ walked past the Shack’s window, with Pinkie looking in for reasons that were, as usual, only obvious to the cotton-candy-haired girl. Fortunately, her attention had been pulled elsewhere and Sunset had escaped being noticed, thus saving her the embarrassment of not only having to explain her situation, but also why she was eating lunch at the Shack instead of Sugarcube Corner Café.

  


As Armor returned to his seat, he said, “Whenever you’re done, we can get going.”

“Where?” she asked. “Social? Didn’t know they were open on weekends.”

“Always a problem somewhere in town,” he said sadly. “Luckily for you, that won’t be the case. That is, unless you’d _prefer_ going there.” From the look on his face, it was clear she wasn’t going to get any other answers immediately, so that avenue was closed.

Looking at her half-eaten burger, what was left of her appetite vanished, replaced by a sense of dread. “Well, I guess I’m ready for wherever, then.”

_Wherever_ turned out to be not _quite_ what she’d been expecting.

“…and you’ll also be expected to help around the house and some other chores,” a woman told her, brushing locks of purple and gainsboro away from her lively ice-blue eyes. “Otherwise, we’re not going to impose anything on you that we wouldn’t on our own daughter, or our niece, since she stays over often.”

Standing there, Sunset didn’t know whether to praise or curse her luck. _Wherever_ turned out to be the home of the cop’s parents, in the affluent suburb of San Palomino – 482 Golden Oaks Drive, to be exact. To make matters both better _and_ worse, it turned out that Armor’s mother was the assistant director for Equestria County’s Department of Social Services. While Twilight Velvet, as the woman was named, had a Ph.D. in Child Psychology, more importantly she had the expertise that could only be gained by raising three children of her own. Furthermore, her husband, Night Light, was the physics professor over at Canterlot State University, just down the road and was clearly just as involved in his childrens’ lives as their mother had been.

Standing next to her, Night grinned as Sunset squirmed slightly. “You can relax now. You’ll be fine here, I promise. Of course, as my wife mentioned there _will_ be some adjustments: for example, you’ll have to adjust with sleeping in a boy’s room for a while…provided that my son _did_ clean up his room.”

Armor rolled his eyes. “Dad….” he groaned. “You know, there _is_ a reason that Cady and I moved in together….”

Night just chuckled. “And here I thought it was because you wanted to keep your brother from getting into your comic book collection.” As the son rolled his eyes once more, Night addressed Sunset again. “Don’t mind Shining, miss. He’s a good kid and he’s marrying a wonderful gal. And I trust my son’s judgment, so if he says he thinks you’re okay, then you should be.”

A thought suddenly came to Velvet’s mind. “Oh, also, where are you attending school? Canterlot, County, or one of the ones outside the city?” the older woman asked.

“Canterlot, ma’am,” Sunset replied. As her eyes darted around, looking at the police officer, the older gentleman and the woman, there was something about them that the former pony couldn’t put her finger on, something that seemed unnaturally familiar about them that she couldn’t yet define.

A light blinked on in Velvet’s mind. “Oh! Tia! That will make things easier, then!” Seeing a confused expression come onto the teen’s face, Velvet explained, “Your principal is an old friend of mine. I guess I should call her and let her know about your change of status.”

Sunset’s eyes suddenly widened in panic – if things were problematic before, things just went nuclear, as far as she was concerned.

Twenty minutes later an all-too-familiar white Hyundai Tiburon was parked on the street behind Shining Armor’s police cruiser, its owner now sitting at the table and looking intently at Sunset.

“I should have known there was a reason why I’ve never been able to get a hold of your parents,” Principal Celestia said, sipping from a cup of coffee. Sure enough, once informed of the situation, Celestia was over in less than twenty minutes. “You know, you _could have_ told me,” the headmistress said, an apprehensive look etched on her face.

Sunset could barely meet the educator’s eyes. _Please don’t look at me like that._ It might have been human eyes that Sunset was facing, but all she could see were the eyes of an alicorn a reality away, gazing at her with sorrow, hurt, and disappointment. _I never meant to hurt you, Princess,_ Sunset wanted to say. _I never had the chance to say how sorry I am…and I’ll never have that chance now._

“Is there something you wish to say, Ms. Shimmer?” Celestia inquired. Sunset turned her head away, lest she let something slip that might cause even more of an embarrassment, if not make the situation worse.

“Well, if there’s nothing else for me, my shift ended an hour ago, so I’m headed home,” Shining said. “Mom, you know how to get a hold of me just in case.”

“That won’t be necessary, son,” she replied.

“Actually….” Night dug in his pocket and pulled out his wallet, handing over a credit card to his son. “She’s probably going to need some replacement clothing and other things, so do you mind taking her? You can use my car.”

“Yeah. Are my spare clothes still in Spike’s room?” When Velvet nodded yes, Shining added, “Okay, let me change real quick, then call Cady and let her know I’ll be home late.” As Shining stepped out of the kitchen, the three adults then chatted breezily about other things in the meanwhile. This, more than anything else, set Sunset on edge, as she knew the topic would change the moment she left – and the new topic would be _her_. How much would the principal tell them? That she was a hellion, or that she was an extradimensional being that had briefly become a monster due to her own greed and failings? That she was being kept under control by five other girls, who served as both her friends and her wardens?

Part of her wondered at that point about the life that had been buried under rubble just a few hours ago…and if it would have been better if she’d been buried along with it.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Armor said to Sunset ten minutes later as the pair turned off of Appletree Road and into the parking lot of the local Target.

“Yes, officer, I’m wondering how much of this Faustian bargain I’m going to survive,” she muttered. Part of her statement made her wince inwardly again; though “Faust” on this world referred to a book written centuries ago, shame coursed within her as she recalled when she looked into Platinum’s magical mirror ages ago and saw herself as an alicorn outstripping even the most powerful of them all – Princess Celestia’s mother, Queen Faust.

He gave her a smile. “Hey, you _don’t_ have to call me that while I’m off-duty, especially since you’ll be staying with my family. You can just call me Shining, okay, Sunset? It _is_ Sunset, right, or do you prefer something else?”

“Sunset’s fine,” she muttered.

“You don’t need to be so defensive,” he told her. “I understand this isn’t going to be an easy adjustment for you. And even I wasn’t aware that your principal and my mom have been friends since childhood. But this won’t be a cakewalk for my family, either: Mom and Dad…well, I’m out of the house now, my sister will be going to college in a few years, and all they’ll have left is my little brother, and frankly, he can be a handful at times. But I know my Mom: when she wants to do something, she’ll do it, logic be damned.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Hell, I just vouched for you with my parents, which probably is pushing mine and Mom’s luck, considering our jobs. After all, I’m a cop and you can’t just take strays in, and though my mom’s the assistant head of Social Services, even she’s gotta play by the rules. What we both _should_ be doing is taking you down to the local family shelter until Social Services can find a foster home for you. But I meant what I said earlier today: I can see something in you that says you’re a decent girl at heart – but it’s clear you need help and I think you’re worth the risk.”

“Thanks,” she blurted as they parked, blushing slightly at the compliment. It had been quite a while since she’d had an authority figure of any kind give her a response that wasn’t disdain, scorn or apathy.

“Tia, tell me everything – don’t leave anything out.”

Celestia looked at her oldest friend. “Fine, Vel – part of me wants to tell you to have your son drop that kid off at the family shelter while you still can.”

“You know I’m not going to do that,” Velvet said, taking a drink from her own coffee.

“Tia, I’m getting the feeling there’s something about her that’s more than the obvious, isn’t there?” Night asked.

She nodded. “Well…if she was just a mere queen bee, I wouldn’t be too worried.”

Velvet blinked. “Wait – she’s just a sophomore, if I’m guessing right. _She’s_ the school’s Alpha Bitch?”

Celestia nodded. “You got the sophomore part right. As to the other part, she _was_. Remember the incident at my school? That happened the night of the Homecoming Dance, and apparently the students got fed up with her and elected someone – anyone, I really don’t remember who – as Homecoming Queen. Which brings me to my _other_ concern.”

“Which is?”

“She’s got a temper on her. You could say it borders on the demonic.” Celestia paused to gather her thoughts. “Velvet, you and Night are my friends. I was your bridesmaid at your wedding. You were there when I broke up with Discord—”

“Still don’t know what you saw in him,” Velvet said.

Celestia laughed. “Vel, you _do_ know that he’s a world-famous hard rock musician now, right?”

Velvet shrugged. “Sorry, always preferred jazz to rock.”

“Well, I’m cautioning you as a friend: I’m not really sure this is worth it. I have dealt with that girl since she was in Seventh Grade and she is a problem, a disaster in waiting. I have two female students at my school that are huge fucking problems, both of which will likely end up in jail or dead…and Sunset Shimmer is a hair’s breadth from becoming number three.”

  


Velvet sat there, quiet for the longest time. Night sat there, also quiet, but his silence was different, Celestia knew. When it came to her old friend, it was because she was about to “pull a Velvet”, as people were fond of saying even as far back as high school. When it came to Night, his thoughts mainly involved trying to figure out how he was going to keep the two women from arguing.

“Tia? Fuck you,” Velvet said simply.

“ _That’s_ real mature, Vel.”

“You’re like a sister, which is why I’m being nice. But I’d like to remind you that you’re a school principal. You _chose_ this job in order to help grow future minds and shape the course of young minds – hell, if you didn’t do this, you’d probably have become a politician or something. But I can’t believe I’m hearing someone I know so well _give up_ on a girl.”

“She’s not a normal girl.”

“No, she’s a girl that’s been living on her own for at least, what, four years that you’ve known her? Can you _imagine_ what that would do to a little girl? She probably had to face tons of things completely by herself, and many of them are not nice, _especially_ when you’re female.” Velvet rose from her seat, her face scrunched in anger. “Tia, I am _not_ giving up on that girl – _someone_ has to be there for her…and I suspect she’s looking at _you_ for guidance.”

“Me? _That’s_ rich.”

“Have you fucking looked at her – _really_ looked at her? She can’t face you! Every time you looked at her she flinched like she was afraid of you!”

“Me? But I—”

“I dunno. Maybe you remind her of her mother or someone important in her life for some reason. Or maybe you’re the first major authority figure in her life that she hoped she could reach out to for help…and here you are, telling _me_ to give up on her? Really?”

“I know what I’m talking about,” she insisted.

“Just like when Lulu was going through that Goth phase? Using black makeup left and right and insisting everyone call her ‘Nightmare Moon’ – and your answer then was to pound some sense into her… _literally_. Tell me, does she still complain about the arm you broke still twinging now and then?”

Tia rose from her seat. “That’s uncalled for, Vel – besides, my parents _and_ my older sister chewed my ass off over that. Or did you forget that I was grounded for a whole month because of our fight?”

“Yeah, and you _deserved_ it for being such a bitch – and Luna ended up spending a week at my place because she was _afraid_ of you!”

Night rolled his eyes. “Ladies? Every time you argue, you bring this up – which means that you’ve already blown your tops and if you were still younger, you probably would have thrown punches. Good thing I’m here to remind you that _A_ , you two will have to explain black eyes if you do; and _B_ , we _still_ have to discuss the fate of a young girl, right?”

“We don’t,” Velvet said. “I’m keeping her, and that’s final – and _you’re_ going to help me,” she said, pointing at Celestia.

“Fine,” Celestia grunted through gritted teeth. “But we’re doing this _my_ way, got that?”

Velvet glared at her old friend – and a second later, a wide grin came over her face. “Deal.”

“Good,” Night said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go call NORAD and tell them they can stand down from DEFCON 1.”

Forty minutes of shopping later, Sunset and Shining returned to his parents’ home. Seated at the kitchen table was Celestia; it was clear that she’d been waiting for their return. “Shining, if you don’t mind, I’d like to have a word alone with my student.”

“Fine by me,” he told her. “Cady’s probably going to kill me for being home so late anyway,” he said with a grin. “Where’s Mom and Dad?”

“Both of them went off to pick up your brother from a birthday party he was at, I believe?” she told him.

“Okay, I’ll just call them later, then. Take care, Celestia. And you too, Sunset.” With that, he departed, leaving the two alone in the kitchen.

  


It didn’t take long for Celestia to begin. “I’m guessing you’re wondering what I told them?” the educator asked, and Sunset nodded. Giving her student a softer glance, she answered, “Don’t worry, I didn’t mention _that_. I owe a debt of gratitude to that alien princess for fixing everything, and I am a woman of my word, so I’m going to keep my promises to her. Plus, even if I could explain it all, I doubt Velvet would believe me or Luna anyway. Besides, most people just think that the incident was the result of poor construction when the school was built.”

“Thank you,” Sunset said in a soft voice.

“Oh, I’m not done yet,” Celestia said, and the smile disappeared. “I just had to lie to my best friend, someone I’ve known nearly all my life, just to cover for you. Velvet and I have been friends since before high school, so she’s like family. Furthermore, Shining is marrying my niece, and so that will make them quite literally my family. So as you can see, this is _very_ personal for me.” Celestia took a drink from her coffee, and then continued.

“So I want to make this _crystal_ clear, Sunset Shimmer. This chance you’ve been given? It’s your _last_. I won’t tolerate any more lies, deceit or whatever you have on your plate. As of now, Velvet will be giving me weekly reports on how your life is here, and likewise, I’ll be doing the same for your schoolwork – so that means no more getting Snips or Snails to do your homework for you.”

Sunset shifted in her seat. “They don’t speak to me anymore since…you know,” she said, starting to wish she was somewhere else at the moment. She wasn’t sure if they even remembered what she’d done to them or even what they’d done to their fellow students, but the two did recall enough to know they wanted to stay the hell away from her.

“Good. Also, I’ll be informing the vice principal of this as well. I know it’s rumored in the school, so let me spell it out for you: yes, Vice Principal Luna is my younger sister. But what that means is that in this arrangement, she’ll have just as much involvement, including getting a hold of Velvet should she need to, understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Lastly, I feel that your friends should be made aware of the change in your residence.”

At that, Sunset panicked. “No! Don’t! _Please_!”

Though she kept it off her face, Celestia was shocked – she now saw the fear Sunset had on her face, completely directed at her. _Shit. Velvet, you were right._ The thought shamed Celestia slightly and she forced her anger and mistrust of the alien teen to subside. “I didn’t say _I_ would be the one to tell them; I think it should be _you_.”

“I…I can’t,” Sunset told her.

“Sunset, one of the things you need to learn about humanity is that we rely on each other. I don’t know how things were for you on your homeworld, but if that princess’ actions were typical of your kind I suspect that your species and ours aren’t really that different. Maybe someday there will be an official meeting of the worlds and we’ll find out, but until that time, you’re just a human girl and you need to rely on…well, _human_ nature. And part of that is your circle of friends.

“So I’m going to give you until Monday to tell them – but if you don’t, I _will_. I’m aware that you work part-time afterschool for the Cakes, and as the guardians of their niece they deserve to know about you and your situation, but that much Pinkie can tell them. Regardless, they _are_ your friends, and they’re likely concerned about you, as that’s what friendship is about, after all.” She drained the remaining coffee, then looked at the teen once more. “Now, do you have any questions for me?”

“No, but I do have something to say, ma’am: it sounds like you really don’t have much faith in me.”

“Given your track record, can you blame me? Fortunately for you, I have a promise to keep and faith in my students…including you.”

  


At that point, the front door opened, and a second later, Velvet wandered into the kitchen. “We’re back. Hopefully you two had a nice little chat.” Seeing the slightly guilty look on her friend’s face and the shattered visage of the young teen, Velvet shook her head. “Tia, what did you do?”

“Just as we discussed, nothing more, nothing less,” Celestia lied again. She knew Velvet knew she was lying, but also knew this wasn’t the time to call her on it. “In any case, I need to get going, since you’re back and she’s under your care now. Besides, I have plans for tomorrow and I have some paperwork to catch up on as well.”

Both adults briefly stepped out of the kitchen while Velvet saw Celestia off; she heard some slight murmuring and knew they briefly continued their conversation, but it was a moot point as a second later, Velvet was back. “Well, with everything going on, I guess I should just order delivery tonight. What sounds good to you? Chinese or pizza?” Sunset didn’t answer; she was still recovering from what she’d just processed. But Velvet had seen enough of that in her kids and she knew what that meant.

“Look, Sunset,” she said, taking the seat Celestia had been in just a minute before. “Don’t worry too much about whatever she told you. While Tia and I don’t always see eye-to-eye, we _do_ agree on a lot of things and one of those is that you’re worth taking a chance on, regardless of what she may have said. Believe me, I’ve seen much worse kids than you get hauled off to Juvie, and you’re not even _remotely_ one of those types.”

“But I—” Sunset began.

“And I don’t care about that,” Velvet cut her off gently. “It’s in the past, so let it stay there. You know, I remember a saying that one of my college professors once told me at the start of his course: ‘It doesn’t matter what you were in the past: if you’re awesome now, no one can tell you otherwise, but if you’re a loser now, no one will ever believe you were once awesome.’ And I’ve taken those words to heart.

“Celestia told me that you had problems in the past, and given what my son told me, that’s rather obvious. But I’m not inviting the girl that was then into my house, I’m inviting the girl that is _now_. And the question is: what kind of girl does she want to be?”

Sunset smiled timidly. “A girl who likes moo goo gai pan?” she voiced.

“Excellent! I love kung pao chicken, myself, the spicier the better. Anyway, let me find out what the boys want, and we’ll make the order.”

The “boys” turned out to be Night Light and their youngest son, eight-year-old Spike. As they ate, Sunset thought there was something familiar about the youth, but she couldn’t figure out just what. In any case, Spike turned out to be rather chatty and a smartass for his age and certainly bold enough to challenge Sunset to several rounds of _Super Smash Bros. Wii U_ , which he turned out to be pretty good at…and that she completely sucked at in comparison. But eventually, he had to go to bed, thus sparing her further embarrassment.

As he went upstairs, Night gave Sunset a smile. “Well, Spike likes you, so that’s a good sign,” he told her. “You’ll meet the final member of our family tomorrow – my daughter. She and her cousin are out of town right now, but she should be back sometime tomorrow. You’ll have plenty of time to get to know both of them, hopefully; I think you three will get along great.”

“Unfortunately, I have to work tomorrow,” Sunset told him.

“Well, I can drop you off, and if you get off early enough, maybe we can all go out to dinner afterwards,” Velvet suggested.

“You know, that’s not a bad idea; she should probably meet Cadance, anyway,” Night said. “Cadance is a real sweetheart, and we absolutely adore her.”

Velvet yawned and said, “Well, it’s been a long day for me, so I think I’m going to turn in for the evening.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to grade some term papers, so I should just go to bed now and get up early tomorrow – think I’ll join you,” Night agreed. “Sunset, you don’t have to knock out just because we old farts aren’t young enough to stay up to watch _Saturday Night Live_ like we used to.”

“Besides, I’m not even sure it’s worth it anymore since Wordplay and Smartalec both left the show,” Velvet added.

“Actually,” Sunset said, standing up and stretching, “I probably should as well. It’s been…a stressful day and tomorrow’s going to be just as long; besides, I need to figure out how I’m going to tell my friends about all this.”

“Well, you know where your room is, Sunset,” Velvet said, gently, “and you should be fine – unless you want to be tucked in for the night.” Seeing the mortified look on the teen’s face, the older woman laughed. “Have a good night, Sunset.”

_She stood in the center of a great spotlight. Around her was darkness. And she was in her original form: hooves, horn and fur. But something felt very wrong to Sunset, very of—_

“ENOUGH!” _a voice thundered and the unicorn bristled. She turned around to see eyes of flame and rage looking at her. “You_ dare _to return, Usurper?” Celestia, Regent of Equestria and Mistress of the Sun and Moon, glared at her former student with enough intensity to melt steel._

_“I…I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” Sunset sobbed, her words catching in her throat. “I didn’t mean any of it!”_

_“You should have thought about that sooner, Usurper,” Celestia snarled, her horn glowing like a star. “Instead, you nearly caused a cataclysm on two worlds and imperiled countless lives. ‘Sorry’ doesn’t even_ begin _to undo the damage that you’ve caused! And to think! I had such high hopes for you – I had even hoped to take you in as my daughter, as I’d hope you’d ascend. But you met my kindness with greed, and you’ve chosen to take the Left Hoof Path. Well, I’ve dealt with threats before, Usurper – and I will crush you just as easily.”_

_“Please, forgive me!” Sunset shouted, hoping to reach the mentor and mother figure she’d loved. But before she could say anything, the princess was gone._

  


_“You did this to yourself, Sunset,” a voice said from behind her. Sunset turned to see Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic, behind her. “You could have been me – you were_ supposed _to be me. If things had worked out different, I might have even been_ your _student. But here we are, and I’m an alicorn…and you’re Public Enemy Number One.”_

_“But I’m changing, Twilight!” Sunset said. “You told me to find it within me to be the pony I was, and I’m trying!”_

_“But not fast enough – not_ nearly _fast enough,” Twilight said, sounding disappointed. “Furthermore, you hurt Celestia, and it’s been up to me to be the balm for the injuries you’ve caused her. But those scars will forever remain, Sunset. I hope you realize that.”_

_“But she’s the Princess! She’s a goddess! She’s all-powerful and benevolent!”_

_“Even the benevolent can be pushed too far,” Twilight said as she disappeared._

  


_“I told you that you were a screw up.” It was Celestia’s voice once more, but somehow different. “How long will it be before you ruin another foster mother’s life?” Sunset turned around to find Principal Celestia standing there, anger in her eyes. “My best friend will suffer because of you!”_

_“So even now she continues her traitorous ways?” Celestia’s voice – this time the princess – asked the educator._

_“Of course – does a tiger ever change its stripes?” one Celestia asked the other._

_“Never,” the alicorn said, her horn charging with immense power._

_“Then she needs to be removed before she becomes a cancer on both your world and mine,” the principal advised the royal._

_“And gladly!” Princess Celestia said, arching her wings up. A huge ball of fire began to form in the space between her wingtips, the sphere of power being fed magic by the princess’ white horn._

_“And all you had to do was to be a decent pony,” Twilight Sparkle said as she appeared between the two Celestias. “And in the end, you couldn’t even do that.”_

“DIE, USURPER!” _Princess Celestia roared as she launched her massive blast at Sunset._

“NOOOOOOOOOO—

**—OOOOOOOO!”** Sunset shouted, sitting up in bed. She was gasping heavily, her heart pounding faster and harder than the drummer for Discord’s band. She found herself shaking, shuddering from the cold that she knew wasn’t coming from the lack of temperature in the room.

_Celestia –_ my _Celestia – is going to kill me the next time she sees me,_ Sunset realized with utter terror. _And what’s more?_

_I deserve it._

The tears came as the teen buried her face in her hands and wept uncontrollably.

**Author's Note:**

Well, here we go! This was a much-needed break from the world of _All-American Girl_ (though that's still ongoing, of course!) and the chance to not only pay Blue back for all the help he's given in the AAGverse, but also a chance to mess around with someone else's legendarium. _7DSJ_ will not only put his Berylverse in a way it's never been before, but will also set the stage for the third main story in the series.

The plan is, Book I will be under my aegis, Book II will be launched by him, and then back to me for the aftermath of Book III. We've been planning this one for a while, so we hope you'll enjoy this detour!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to have to take my time to put up more chapters. Kinda actually have to reread some to remember where important events take place. especially since there are like eight more side stories in the middle of this one.


	65. 7DSJ Book 1 Ch.6

# October 20: Starting Over

Instead of heading home, Celestia drove towards a secluded townhouse in the middle of the eastern district. Parking next to a dark blue Volkswagen Beetle GSR, the principal shook her head in amusement at the sheer number of empty bags of McDonalds, Chipotle and other fast-food doggie bags, the sign of someone who lived pretty much on the go. Of course, that was normal: Celestia and her younger sister had always been a study in contrasts, and both even more so when compared to their older sister, Armonia.

Heading up to the front door, she gently knocked on the door of 203 Calle de la Noche – probably the main reason the resident within chose the place, Celestia guessed. The townhouse’s owner tended to be a bit…flighty…when it came to important decisions like that.

A muffled shout of “Just a minute!” echoed through the door; at that point, Celestia knew she was likely to be in for a hell of a wait unless she acted. Not really in the mood to wait what would feel like a millennium, Celestia reached into her pocket, pulled out her keys and used the spare her sister had given her.

  


Walking in, she entered a place where time stood still, forever held in place by the whim of its timeless mistress…which was a nice way of saying that if the Homeowners Association that Luna belonged to ever saw the inside of her home, the term “urban warfare” would likely have to be revised. “Lulu, we need to talk.”

“Okay,” a voice called from the kitchen. “Want a beer?”

“Can’t; I still have to go home.” Almost instantly, as Celestia recalled what she was about to tell Luna, she reconsidered. “On second thought, what do you have?”

“Smithwick’s and a few bottles of Nastro Azzurro that you left last time.”

“Pass me a Nastro. I’m going to order a pizza, too,” the elder sister said, pulling out her phone. “The usual?”

“Sure.” Luna came out of the kitchen while Celestia called the local pizza joint. She wore what she typically tended to when she was at home: well-worn daisy-dukes, a deep blue t-shirt emblazoned with Pac Man and the words EAT ME, and an expensive wireless Sennheiser gaming headset around her neck. As soon as the elder sister was done, Luna passed her the beer, asking, “So, I’m guessing you’re either here to tell me to clean my place again, or Armonia’s fretting about Cadence’s wedding?”

“Neither, actually – it’s about work.”

Luna sighed in relief. “Oh, thank God. _Every time_ sis mentions Cadance’s wedding, _Mama_ insists on bringing up ‘So, when are you and Tia going to settle down?’ So, which one of our students is in jail right now?”

“Actually, it’s about Sunset Shimmer – you won’t believe who took her under her wing.”

“Hit me,” Luna said, grinning. “I’ve been fucking up the hell out of smack-talking asshats all day on _Titanfall_ and I could use the excitement.”

  


“What the _fuck_ is Velvet thinking?!” the midnight-haired woman asked as she plopped on the couch.

“You know how Vel is,” Celestia said. “Besides, we can’t exactly tell her, can we? I mean, she’s known us forever, but if I were in her shoes even I’d find it a little hard to believe.”

“No fucking kidding! ‘Oh, hey, Vel, your closest friends have been hiding a secret from you – that the girl you just took into your home is only behaving herself because her ass got kicked by an alien princess who just _happened_ to look like the spitting image of your daughter!’” Luna drained the rest of her beer, then went back to the kitchen for another. “Think that was on purpose?”

“I don’t know _what_ to think,” Celestia said, finishing up her own beer as the pizza guy knocked on the front door. “And I’d hate to be in Sunset’s shoes when she finally gets to meet Twilight. She just might find that things are a _little_ different than expected.”

It was the third knock on the door the following morning that stirred Sunset awake. Her head screaming, she sat up, bedhead on her hair and a very loose Sapphire Shores tanktop that was slipping off her shoulder. She was barely able to open her eyes, and she felt completely exhausted. Even though the bed she was currently on was utter heaven compared to the dingy bunk she’d been sleeping on the past few years, the nightmare of the previous night had ruined any real chance of sleep for the first night she’d likely been completely safe since her exile began.

There was another knock on the door, and before she could really gather her wits about her, Sunset mumbled something that sounded vaguely in the ballpark of “Come in.” As her vision came to, she saw a figure before her. She blinked, then rubbed her eyes, making sure she wasn’t hallucinating. But standing before her, wearing a black-and-gray hoodie with Japanese on the front and a poodle skirt – _poodle skirt?_ – was a person she never thought she’d see in her lifetime:

_Twilight Sparkle._

There she stood, the same soft smile on her face and the same twinkling purple eyes. “Um…good morning,” she said softly. “Are you okay?”

A sudden flood of emotions overcame Sunset and she was too overwhelmed to speak as she sat up to look at her fellow pony. A dozen sensations roiled through her: joy at seeing her first real friend once more. Sadness in being reminded how that friendship had come about. And confusion as to why the alicorn princess had returned to Earth.

“Twilight?” she asked, barely able to get a hold of herself. “What are you doing here?”

“I…um….” Twilight mumbled, looking down at the floor in an action more akin to Fluttershy than anything else. Finally, with her head still down, she said, “Uh, your shirt….”

Sunset immediately realized that as she sat up, the other strap of her tanktop had slid off that shoulder and the whole thing, already oversized, had slid down her body, and was hanging down past her torso…with nothing now covering her. Sunset quickly covered herself with the nearest pillow, turning bright red in the process.

A rousing amount of laughter sounded from behind the door and another girl came into the room, patting Twilight on the shoulder. Wearing a CARE BEARS STARE THERE! t-shirt and jeans, she had long black hair and eyes the same color as Twilight’s. “Twily, once again, you prove you have _such_ a way with words,” the other girl said, grinning.

“But I….” Twilight stammered.

“Don’t mind her; she’s socially awkward,” the newcomer said.

Recovering somewhat, Twilight blushed and said, “Um, let’s try this again. Hi, I’m Twilight Sparkle, and this joker here is my cousin and best friend, Octavia Melody.”

“Cousin and _only_ friend,” Octavia drawled. “Anyway, you can just call me Tavi and she goes by Twily. And you’re Sunset? Sunny? Setty?”

“Sunset,” the ex-pony replied as she wriggled under the sheets to adjust her tanktop. And as she did, she now realized why things seemed so familiar: this was the _human_ Twilight Sparkle, and the alicorn princess that Sunset knew was likely still in Equestria, since the dimensional gates were still closed. Likewise, that pony’s pet dog, Spike, had a counterpart in the eight-year-old boy living in the house, though how that happened was beyond Sunset’s ability to grasp.

“Well, Mom figured that you were going to sleep in since you likely didn’t sleep well – unfamiliar location and all,” Twilight rambled, unaware of Sunset’s thoughts, “so she’s making brunch now. I set up the bathroom down the hall for you if you want to take a shower or bath. Afterwards, we can eat and talk. I’m guessing you want to know a little about me and Tavi and we’d like to get to know you as well.”

“Um…okay,” Sunset answered as she struggled for words, lost for them once more. Maybe if this was _Princess_ Twilight Sparkle, perhaps she could have handled the whole thing better, but the awkward girl standing in front of her was definitely not that pony, and so Sunset was just going to have to start off from scratch. Maybe that was a good thing; there were probably large differences between the two Twilights, just as there had been between the two Celestias and most definitely the two Spikes – it would be unfair to hang what Sunset knew of the alicorn princess on this girl standing before her.

_Besides, if we’re going to be living together, I should get to know_ her _and not just assume she’s like the Twilight I knew,_ Sunset thought to herself as she climbed out of bed to get ready for the day.

“Twily, did it _ever_ occur to you that she probably could’ve just woken up on her own?” Octavia asked her cousin as the pair went downstairs.

“Well, Mom said that she had to work today and that sleeping in wasn’t a good idea,” Twilight pointed out. “Besides, I read a report the other day that said that no matter how much sleep your body is trying to make up for, the lack of sleep has already done neural and physiological damage, so—”

Octavia rolled her eyes; Twilight was in her infamous lecture mode once again. “I give up – I should know this from years of dealing with you by now.”

“Yes, you should,” the purple-haired girl said, grinning.

“Is Sunset up?” Velvet asked, poking her head out of the kitchen.

“Yeah, Mom, she is,” Twilight answered.

“Oh, is she ever,” Octavia agreed, with a wry smile.

“Girls…what did you do?” Velvet asked.

“Nothing, Aunt Velvet. It just looks like we ran into her at the wrong time – and she’s clearly _not_ a morning person.”

“Well, it’s almost noon, so…I suppose that makes sense.”

  


Thundering footsteps rolled down the stairs, as a kid almost knocked both teens over on his way to the kitchen. “Hey, is the food ready? Gotta eat and then head over to Pip’s house for an epic gaming session!”

“Is that _all_ you ever think about, Spike?” Octavia said as she reached down to muss with his spiky green hair. Sure enough, the young kid was dressed as normal: purple t-shirt with a videogame character on it, jeans and a well-beaten pair of sneakers.

“Well, no, sometimes I also think about comics, and other important things.” But then the smile fell from his face as he added, “Oh, by the way, I couldn’t find where you put your tablet. Wanted to copy over a gamefile that I was playing on it an—”

Her eyes narrowed. “You went through my things again, didn’t you? _And_ using my tablet again without asking?”

“Well, yeah, bu—”

“I swear, Spike, you’re _such_ a troublemaker at times!” She turned to her aunt, groaning, “Aunt Velvet, can I boot him into next week?”

“No, he has to do his homework first,” Velvet replied. “Though I’m sure that Spike would like to do the dishes before he does his homework as a punishment for going through your stuff, isn’t that right, son?”

But Spike was already tuning them out. “Not really,” he said.

Twilight bent down and looked at her brother, eye to eye. “Spike? Word of advice: say _yes_ before Mom only makes it worse for you.”

“But I didn’t do anything wrong! I just wanted to pla—”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, squirt,” she told him, standing back up.

“Spike, that’s very generous of you to offer to set the table as well,” Velvet added.

“But I promised Pip that he and I would—” he started.

“Oh, and I think you’ll be assisting me with cleaning the house today as well. The help will be _very_ much appreciated, Spike.” The look in her eyes and the tone in her voice very strongly indicated that further attempts to push his luck would be met with peril.

“And I tried _so_ hard to protect my little brother,” Twilight said theatrically. Octavia’s response to that was an exaggerated golf clap, to which Twilight bowed in response.

“Well, if you two are done, Tavi, you might want to check your stuff to see that he didn’t do anything else by accident. And Twily, can you go get your father?”

“Sure thing, Mom,” Twilight replied, as she headed to the room the family used as a home office. As for Octavia, she went back up the stairs, fearing the worst; she remembered the last time her little cousin ransacked her bag – that didn’t end well either.

An hour later, Sunset stepped into Sugarcube Corner. Breakfast had been…awkward. At first, she felt defensive, put in the spotlight. She wasn’t really sure how to react, and she felt as though she’d been placed on display, like a museum piece placed next to the table. But fortunately, something had occurred while she was taking a shower, and most of that time was spent with Spike sulking – she got the feeling she was going to be seeing that on a regular basis – and Twilight and Octavia talking about their overnight trip to Riverdale, down in the southern part of the state. And so Sunset sat, hoping that she could blend in with wallpaper and continue to remain unnoticed. Thankfully, that hadn’t been hard; it was almost as though she hadn’t been there.

At least, here in the café, she was on familiar territory, and as bizarre as Pinkie’s antics could be at times, it was something Sunset was well familiar with and could handle – in an odd way, that made it comforting, in a Kafkaesque sort of way. In any case, that had been the plan…

…until she got glomped by Pinkie the moment the door closed. Pinkie’s face was a mixture of joy, relief and concern as she chirped, “Sunny! I was worried about you!”

“Pinkie, really, I can’t imagine…why….” As she took stock of what was going on, she noticed four other teens standing there, all with the same looks on their faces. She then turned her eyes towards the counter to see her bosses, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Pinkie’s aunt and uncle, also looking at her with the same weighty concern.

“Okay, what did I do this time?” she muttered.

“Well, sugarcube, that would depend….” Applejack began.

“Sunset…why didn’t you tell us?” That soft voice came from Fluttershy, and as Sunset’s mind processed the words, her blood suddenly ran cold. They _knew_. Somehow, they knew.

_Celestia, you b…._ Sunset chopped off the unspoken insult. The principal might be any number of things, but dishonest wasn’t one of them. If Celestia said she wouldn’t do it, she didn’t do it.

_Okay, Shimmer, think of something!_ “I…um….” She began, trying to come up with something – _anything_ – that would help her get out of this.

Thankfully the adults intervened. “Girls,” Carrot said gently as he gestured towards the door leading to the residential part of the building, “maybe you should take it upstairs. It’s a slow enough day that Cup and I can handle things down here. And Sunset…no matter what, you can always come to us if you need advice.”

“Most certainly, dear,” Cup added, giving the confused teen a comforting grin.

The curly-haired girl started pulling Sunset towards the residential stairwell. “Well, time to power up for a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long—”

“We get the idea, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said, shaking her head.

“—long, long, _loooooooooooooong_ talk!” Pinkie then raced towards the kitchen, returning with a sheet of chocolate chip cookies. “We’ll be putting these to good use, Uncle Carrot, Auntie Cup!” she said, pausing just long enough to give them kisses on the cheek before heading to the door. She then let go of the cookie sheet for a second as she pointed upstairs while calling out, “To the Batcave!” before grabbing the tray again, which somehow managed to float in the air just long enough for her to pull that off.

“ _No_ idea how she does that,” Rainbow grumbled.

“Dear, it’s Pinkie being Pinkie, you know that,” Rarity said with a sympathetic smile. “But for now we need to focus more on Sunset’s needs, not Pinkie’s, _um_ , ‘Pinkieness.’”

“Yeah, ya got a point,” the athlete admitted as the teens went upstairs, while Sunset wondered if there were somehow any dragons here on Earth that she wasn’t aware of – maybe she could arrange to be eaten by one.

_That might be the easier way to deal with all this,_ she mused.

  


A minute later, the six were seated at the table in the Cakes’ dining room. As Pinkie wandered off to the kitchen to get glasses of milk for “emergency dunking purposes,” Sunset wasted no time in counterattacking. “Okay, who the hell told you guys?” she asked, looking at all of them.

Applejack sighed and raised her hand. “Ah don‘t know if you‘re aware, but mah ma and Vice Principal Luna are friends. From what Ma told me, Principal Celestia told Ms. Luna last night, and first thing Ms. Luna did was to call Ma. She then came by the store this morning and told her, Pa, and Granny – and Mac just happened to be there. He told me, and then mah parents pulled me aside to explain. So once Ah knew, Ah had to tell the girls – we’re all friends, and friends back each other up.” The other girls nodded as one at this sage wisdom.

“Sunset, darling, why didn’t you tell us?” Rarity asked, sounding hurt. “We’re your friends…or at least we _thought_ we were.”

“You guys are! Well, I hope you are,” Sunset said, somewhat abashedly. It wasn’t something she was comfortable admitting to them, and for once she felt like Fluttershy, complete with the need to hide under the table.

“But friends tell their friends everything, both good and bad,” Rarity added, “and this is _most certainly_ bad. I’d even go so far as to say it’s the worst. Po—”

“Ah think she gets th’ idea, Rares,” Applejack interjected.

“No, I think Rarity’s right,” Rainbow said, slouching in her chair while reaching for another cookie. She then fixed her rose-colored eyes on Sunset, snarling, “Making us worry like that is _seriously_ uncool, Sunset. Not friggin’ cool at all.”

As for the other two, Fluttershy, sensitive as always, said nothing, but looked fit to cry. Pinkie, however, simply sat there, giving Sunset a wavering grin, though the girl’s blue eyes seemed like bottomless wells of sympathy, and…. _Wait, is Pinkie’s hair_ straightening _?_ Sunset wondered.

Sunset dunked a cookie, ate and pondered her words. _These are my friends,_ she thought to herself. _I owe them this much._ “Look, what do you guys want me to say?” she asked. “We weren’t friends up until just a little while ago – hell, _none of you_ were even speaking to one another until Twilight Sparkle appeared on the scene.”

At the mention of the alien princess’ name, Fluttershy seemed to be even more distraught. “I miss her,” the chiffon-haired girl said, and the other girls agreed.

“She said she’d be back someday if she could, Fluttershy,” Rarity reminded her.

“Well, I guarantee you won’t be missing her long,” Sunset interjected, “‘cause I live with her now. Well, her human counterpart, that is.” At her pronouncement, the five paused in surprise. Comically, Rainbow even dropped her cookie into her milk, the impact splattering white liquid all over the jersey she was wearing.

“Really?” Pinkie asked.

“Really,” Sunset insisted. When the five looked at her as though waiting for a punchline, Sunset said, “No, I’m serious about this, guys – I live with her family now.”

“So, _um_ , what’s she like?” Fluttershy asked.

“Don’t know, really – just met her this morning,” Sunset admitted. “But she seems to have even less friends than I do…well, _did_ , at any rate. She apparently hangs around almost exclusively with her cousin, who’s the same age as she is, and while they’re very close, I get the feeling neither of them have particularly large circles of friends.”

Pinkie snapped her fingers suddenly, the sound of the microscopic sonic boom filling the air. “I _knew_ I saw her somewhere before, and now I remember! Saw her at the mall earlier in the year – she was wearing the school uniform for the Zacherle Academy for Girls!”

“That posh private school on the other side of town?” Rarity interjected. “That’s _quite_ impressive – they have very rigorous standards for their students, both academic and extracurricular. I would have loved to go there myself, but unfortunately, my parents couldn’t afford the tuition. I guess you’re living up in Northside, then?”

“No, actually, they live over in San Palomino, but thankfully, Principal Celestia arranged for me to keep going to Canterlot High instead of having to transfer to San Palomino High,” Sunset explained, and the girls gasped.

Rarity’s eye twitched in surprise. “San Palomino. As in ‘one of the wealthiest towns in the state’ San Palomino?”

Pinkie’s next word said it all for them: “Wow.” The quintet then quieted down as they tried to process the unexpected information they’d just received – earlier, they were worried that the newest member of their circle would be living in penury; obviously that turned out to be not at all the case.

“Well, okay, so you’re living large – fine. Still doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell us shit, Sunset,” Rainbow accused. “What, don’t trust us or anything?”

“Rainbow, weren’t you listening? What could I do? My life was already in shambles and even though I have you guys now, it’s not like I could’ve asked any of you for help on my living situation!”

“But we would’ve tried, Sunny!” Pinkie insisted.

“I know, Pinkie, but…look, you’ve done more than enough for me; I know you had to cut some of your own hours here at the café to convince your aunt and uncle to give me the job. And they’ve already got you and their own kids to take care of; they couldn’t take in another.”

She then looked at Applejack. “Your family has you, your parents, your brother, your sister, and your grandmother living in your house. I know your family would have offered, but they’ve got enough mouths to feed.”

“Well, if we still had the farm, it’d be easy, but since we sold it and opened up our store, yeah, living space _is_ a mite tight at home,” the former farmgirl admitted.

Rarity was next. “As for you, I know your family would have happily done so as well, but I also recall you saying the other day that both your parents are freelance journalists and business has been kind of tight lately.”

Rarity nodded. “True, mother hasn’t received any article assignments from any of her contacts as of late, but at least my father’s still busy with his weekly column at ESPN.”

Turning to Rainbow next, Sunset said, “And then there’s the issue with your family. You mentioned that your parents wanted to try for another kid, and… _awk-ward_ ….”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Rainbow grunted. “Half the time Scoots and I are staying at my cousin Spitfire’s as of late so my parents can do the horizontal bop, an—”

_“Rainbow!”_ Fluttershy scolded, blushing furiously.

“Well they _are_!”

Sunset ignored Rainbow’s outburst and finally turned to Fluttershy. “And while I know you were probably the best option, your mom’s a single mother raising you and your little brother. She’s got enough problems and I probably would have compounded them.”

“But Sunset, we’re your friends – what kind of friends would we be if we didn’t try to offer?” Rarity asked.

“And what kind of friend would I be if I imposed? You already know my deepest secrets, and that’s hard enough to live with. But having me under your roofs would have been one step too far. And you guys are my friends – I like keeping you that way,” Sunset said, adding a quick smile in the hopes it would help.

“Still, we would have found _some_ way to help,” Rarity insisted. “You could’ve stayed with one of us _at least_ for a couple of days! Or maybe—”

“—or maybe one of your parents would have called Social Services on me, because that would be the right thing to do…but that’s what I _don’t_ need right now! Too many questions would be asked, and not even Principal Celestia could cover for me at that point.” When she saw the questioning looks on their faces, it made her smile inwardly a bit at how much they’d accepted her over the past few weeks. “I think you guys forget – I’m not really human, and there’s an actual Sunset Shimmer somewhere else on this world whose identity I’m using. Hell, Princess Twilight temporarily turned you into pony-human hybrids so you could beat the demon that possessed me!”

“Eyup – gotta admit, that was freaky,” Applejack admitted. “Glad no one remembers any o’ that, save fer those that needed ta.” The room descended into an uncomfortable silence, as the natural humans thought about their temporary change and how odd it had been, and the girl who probably had to live with the reverse equivalent every day; as for Sunset, she pondered how the girls, growing up in a world without magic, felt about their first experience with it – relatively speaking, shapeshifting spells weren’t by any means comfortable.

  


Finally, Sunset leaned back in the chair and spoke, breaking the silence. “Look, if you guys really want to help me? Just be there for me like you have been in the past few weeks. And at the risk of sounding weird, I think that Twilight and her cousin could probably use you guys too. Princess Twilight said she had a group of extremely close friends back in Equestria and they meant the world to her.”

“An’ now ya have us, sugarcube,” Applejack said, rising from her seat to embrace Sunset. A second later the other four girls did the same, and Sunset felt very warm and comfortable in the embrace of her friends.

_I was wrong to wonder if they’ll ever be my friends someday,_ she thought to herself. _Not when it’s already obvious._ “Thanks, girls,” she said to them, relief crawling onto her features.

“Yeah, whatevs,” Rainbow said, trying to play it off as always. “But next time, if you don’t tell us you’re in trouble, I swear to God I’m going to kick your ass, got that?”

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy scolded. “How is that going to help anything?”

“Eh, don’t worry about it, girls! I’m sure after this, Sunny’s life’s going to be all sunshine and sweetness!” Pinkie shouted. “Now, c’mon, we gotta finish all the cookies!”

  


The remainder of the day was spent in idle chatter – neither of the Cakes came upstairs during the café’s hours, which meant it had been a very slow day – and support for Sunset. The ex-unicorn promised to introduce them to her new family as soon as it all settled down and they were looking forward to it; likewise, they were definitely looking forward to meeting both Octavia and _especially_ Twilight, despite Sunset’s warnings that the teen was more like Fluttershy than the alien princess they knew.

Finally, as closing time came, Mr. Cake came upstairs to let Sunset know that her ride was there. As the girls went downstairs, she noted Night waiting just inside, drinking a cup of coffee and breezily chatting with Mrs. Cake. Once Sunset had gathered her stuff, the two departed. As the car drove off, Pinkie was the first to ask. “So, Auntie Cup, is he okay?” Though the others hadn’t asked, the concern on their faces was just as obvious.

“I think he is,” she told the girls. “Sunset should be in good hands – I have a good feeling about him.”

Earlier, buoyed by her friends’ support, Sunset was sure that she was going to be okay. However, that confidence quickly went away as the time came and they arrived at the restaurant. Now, all Sunset wanted to do was to crawl under the table, and maybe through the carpeting, at least into the ground a few feet below. It would help prevent everyone at the table staring at her, as she had no idea what to do.

“You look as though you’ve never been to a real Italian restaurant before,” the girl leaning against Shining’s shoulder commented. That girl was Mi Amore Cadenza, though she preferred to be called Cadance instead. Celestia’s niece turned out to be much more different than expected; she was funny, charming and sweet, though Cadance claimed that was just on her off hours – and that during her day job as an assistant district attorney for the county, she was a lot more ruthless.

Meanwhile, Sunset continued to look at the menu, floored. The truth of Cadance’s statement was that in fact, Sunset hadn’t. While she’d studied about the peculiarly-similar Bitaly back on her homeworld, but as for its counterpart here she only knew via fast-food pizza joints and the numerous Chef Boyardee cans she’d consumed over the years.

Cadance smiled again. “Well, fortunately for you, Buca di Beppo isn’t a _real_ Italian place either, though it’s likely the closest thing you’re going to find here in Equestria County. And while there is a nice little trattoria by the state line up in Brambleton, otherwise you’ve got to go somewhere like New York or New Jersey to get something a little more authentic.”

“So says the person who’s never been to Italy and can barely speak Italian?” Twilight teased, while Octavia giggled from her adjacent seat.

Cadance mock-pouted for a second. “Yeah, laugh it up, Twily. Anyway, my grandparents, Mom, and my aunts moved here from Italy when Aunt Luna was five,” she told Sunset. “You’d think they’d just leave things as is, but when I was born my grandparents insisted to Mom and Dad that I get an Italian name so I wouldn’t forget my family heritage. But as far as I can tell, said heritage consists of a lot of carbs and marinara sauce.”

“Well, at least there’s the wedding next year, if you two are still thinking about getting married there,” Velvet wondered as she took a sip from her glass of wine.

“Yeah. Destination weddings are all the rage, and my parents think it’s a great idea,” Cadance told her. “Besides, Grandma and Grandpa are getting up there in years, and they haven’t been back to Cavalcanti in decades. Besides, what’s not to love about Italy?”

“Well, the girls there _are_ hot,” Shining said whimsically and got punched in the shoulder for it. “What’d I say?”

“I know you said that just to be facetious, but it’s gonna cost you,” she said in a teasing, sing-song voice.

“Like what?”

“Oh, you’ll find out tonight, sweetie,” she said enigmatically, before drinking from her own glass of wine. Night Light and Velvet merely looked at each other in that way that indicated as a married couple, they generally knew what their future-daughter-in-law meant, though their son was lost. Twilight continued to look at the pictures, and Octavia had her head cocked in the way that indicated she was listening to the music – she played the contrabass and was planning to be a classical musician for a living – and Spike ignored everything, heavily focused on his 3DS.

But as for herself, Sunset never felt so alone. If asked, she would have said that she felt like a camera recording a family, just a piece of furniture, an interloper who was forever on the outside, looking in. The seven of them were like the ideal family; even Octavia, who was Twilight’s cousin on her father’s side; and Cadance, who wasn’t even married into the family yet, belonged more than she did.

Thankfully, the waiter came by to take orders and pointed out that the food here was communal, similar to Chinese food – that made Sunset unwind just ever so slightly. As everyone placed an order – good thing Twilight ordered the Penne San Remo, because that sounded interesting – Sunset drained the rest of her raspberry crème Italian soda and blurted something about having to head off to the restroom. She really didn’t need to go – she just had to get away.

  


As she departed, Cadance said to Velvet, “Just so you know, both Shiny and my aunts told me everything already. I have to admit, I’m kinda surprised you’re doing this. Isn’t four kids enough? Well, three-and-a-half, no offense, Tavi.”

“None taken,” Octavia replied.

Velvet drained her glass, then looked at her future daughter-in-law. “Actually, if you want to know the truth, Sunset kinda reminds me a little of myself when I was her age – both me and your aunt Tia.”

Just about everyone at the table looked at Velvet and said, _“Really?”_

Velvet nodded. “We were the queen bees at our school and part of me wonders if Lulu’s ‘attitude phase’ was simply because she couldn’t match the popularity Tia had. Either way, I know I didn’t treat any of the folks I knew well, and at one point Tia and I even came to blows over a boyfriend she had at the time. But thankfully I got older and realized that you’re only on top for a little while – sooner or later, you’re going to fall, and when you do, hopefully you’ll have someone there to catch you. I was lucky: Tia and I have had each other and we’ve remained friends throughout the years.” She looked at both Twilight and Octavia. “In years to come, you two will realize just how lucky you are that you two are practically joined at the hip.”

But the older woman looked towards the direction of the bathroom as she continued. “But I don’t know if Sunset has that kind of support. Best guess that Tia has is that Sunset’s been living alone for the past four years – she’s been on her own since she was _twelve_ , which is obscenely unthinkable. She’s had no one, and while that’s great for being independent, it also gives you a huge blindside when it comes to trusting others: you end up not believing in anyone except for yourself, and sooner or later, that means you’re alone.”

Twilight looked at her mother intently, then at her cousin. And with that, immediately left the table, headed toward the restrooms posthaste.

After briefly bumping into Vinyl Scratch of all people on the way to the restroom – who the fuck wears shades indoors? – Sunset made it to her destination, a place just as gaudy as the rest of the restaurant. Leaning against the sink counters, she started to breathe heavily again, trying to regain whatever sense of normalcy she had earlier today, but it was long gone – and nothing seemed normal any longer. Something was tearing at her heart, and she knew exactly what it was; after all, she saw it every day: the scorn, the looks of disappointment, the sorrow, the hatred. All of it perpetually directed at her, an unceasing maelstrom that she’d had to live with these past four years, and only now had it begun to buffet her against the rocks and shoals of despair.

And yet, just mere yards away was a family that she was now normally with…yet forever apart from them, the “oh, and her” that would forever mark her so long as she remained. And every damning look she received from Principal Celestia continued to remind her of the alicorn princess, the closest thing Sunset had ever had to a family prior. The sun alicorn had reached out to the young mare, and in return, all Sunset had done was to spurn the love given out of greed and obsession.

Friends? Foster family? These were only reminders of what she could never really have, mere stand-ins for what she’d pushed away on her native world.

As she turned to look in the mirror, she saw herself – her _true_ self – in its reflection: the muzzle, the fur, the hooves, the horn – all reminders that she was an alien on this world, solitary and exiled. At best, in her real form she would be seen as a pet; after all, by her rough guess she stood about as tall as the average German Shepherd, about 24 inches or so at the withers. But it was her magic that would make her a threat, a sort of living nuclear weapon to either be controlled – or destroyed. “Fortunately” for her, however, only a few select people really knew what she was, but in many ways, that made it much worse: she would forever be beholden to the goodwill of people she couldn’t entirely trust, or in the case of her friends, young women who could turn an innocent slip of a tongue into a lifelong stay at a highly-classified government lab somewhere in an undisclosed location – or worse, on dissecting table in said location.

Sights and sounds ran through her like infinitely sharp knives, memories of ponies who wanted to be her friends only to be spurned because they weren’t “important enough”; associates who wanted to get to know her, but were ignored because her studies were far too important. Celestia even had a niece – though she couldn’t remember her name – who the princess once mentioned could have been like a sister to her, since she lived with her parents in a mansion just north of the palace. So many chances at a normal life – _too many chances at a normal life_ – burned to the ground because Sunset Shimmer dared to think she knew better. And what did that get her in the end? Exile and a sort of dungeon in the place she’d been exiled to.

Before she realized what was going on, she was slumped on the floor, crying. She was forever barred from her home, at least for the next three years, though that in itself was merely an academic point: She knew that if she tried to return, Princess Celestia would arrest her. Even if Princess Twilight tried to speak in her defense, it was the younger alicorn – once a unicorn herself – that had met all of Celestia’s dreams and had earned her place as the elder alicorn’s daughter. All Sunset was and would ever be, was a failure and a washout – an exile, never to return home.

  


Forgotten.

  


_Abandoned._

  


She didn’t know how long she’d been there, until she felt the soft impression of arms encircling her, the warm pressure of someone pulling her close. Looking up through tear-stained eyes, she saw Twilight sitting there, next to her, holding her tightly. Standing next to her, but with no less a concerned look, was Octavia.

“I know this isn’t easy for you,” Twilight said, holding her as close as possible, “and…it’s not easy for me, either. All my life, it’s just been Shiny, Cady, Spike, Tavi, my parents, and her parents – I’ve never needed anyone else. They’re my family, and I love them more than anything.” She took a pause to catch her breath, and Sunset felt something hot and wet on her cheek – was Twilight crying? For _her_?

“But I know they’re just strangers to you, and that you probably feel alone right now. Afraid. I know how that feels sometimes. If it wasn’t for Tavi, I’d probably just go to the school, the library, and that’s it. I’m not very good with people, as you can probably guess.”

Octavia nodded. “What Twily’s trying to say somewhere in those sobs and her usual lack of getting to the point is that she and I are more than just cousins, more than just best friends – we’re sisters of a sort. My parents are both in the Canterlot Symphonic, and they’re almost always on the road, so Uncle Night and Aunt Velvet have raised me just as much as my parents, maybe moreso. Shiny and Spike are the closest things I have to brothers, since I’m an only child; Cady’s been our babysitter since we were seven. So it’s natural that we’re as thick as thieves…but I think all of us forgot about you in the process.”

“But now we have someone new to think about and it’s a learning process,” Twilight continued. “I have to get used to having someone else there that I’ve never had to deal with before, and I probably came off as standoffish since first thing this morning. I’m sorry if I did that.”

“Same here. Twily’s sarcastic, but I’m outright snarky, and I know it takes some getting used to. I’m sorry as well if I hurt your feelings.”

Sunset looked at them both, not believing this – they were acting much the same way as she’d expect her friends to do, and she just met these two! And while she had no basis of comparison for Octavia to anyone she’d known back in Equestria, this Twilight was _definitely_ not like the confident, courageous and assured princess she knew – in some ways, that was comforting, as with the princess, Sunset would always be reminded of the pony she could have been, but with Twilight, she could be a symbol of the person Sunset wanted to become.

Sunset gave the other two girls a simple nod. “No, it was an accident – I was groggy from the night before and not in the best of shape,” she told them. “Furthermore, I wore that tanktop without reading the instructions; it’s an overgarment, meant to be worn over a t-shirt, so that was my fault entirely and I owe you both an apology for the unexpected show.” At that, Octavia started giggling, though it was clearly not meant in a malicious way. “What’s so funny?”

“I…um….” Twilight said, before blushing furiously. Sunset looked at her weirdly before Twilight confessed: “Yesterday, Tavi and I went to one of her recitals over in Riverdale, and there was this one guy from Riverdale High who kept looking at our chests – _really_ bothered me. And then after this morning, when you went to use the shower, I told Tavi that we should have brought you along, because you’re bigger than both of us and could’ve kept him busy.”

Sunset blinked once. Twice. And then for some reason, started laughing at the absurdity of it all. Twilight looked flustered, then frowned before starting to laugh as well, and when Octavia got started once more, the trio of girls couldn’t stop, breaking a very tense moment for the three of them.

  


Peeking her head into the restroom carefully, Velvet sighed in relief. After Sunset raced off, she’d feared the worst, but Twilight and Octavia, bless them, went off after her. Twilight, in particular, had a look of determination on her face that Velvet had rarely seen on her milquetoast-natured daughter, as if the situation brought out something in Twilight that had compelled her to rise to the occasion.

“Oh, that’s good,” Cadance said from behind her. “I was worried there for a moment, but the girls have got everything under control.”

Velvet closed the door carefully, then nodded. “Let’s get back to the table; I’m sure they’ll join us soon enough.”

The three girls continued to chat in Sunset’s room, well past a reasonable hour. Octavia had called her parents and said she was staying over, and as always it was never an issue. Since their return from dinner the trio had a more detailed conversation, far more relaxed and certainly more akin to what would be normal for their age.

“Since I’m a bassist – and you won’t believe how many times people think I mean a guitar when I say that – I mostly tend towards classical music, though I also tend to raid Aunt Velvet’s jazz CD collection now and then,” Octavia said. “On rare occasions I’ll listen to something that Twily insists on, though I usually tend to regret it.”

“Well, that’s because your taste in music runs towards the ancient and _bo~ring_!” Twilight laughed. “As for me, I mainly listen to pop: Sapphire Shores, Happy Bighat, Bombay Bicycle Club, that kind of stuff.” Octavia pantomimed gagging while Twilight explained, earning a scowl from her cousin, causing Sunset to chuckle. “Though I _will_ admit that once in a while she finds something in Mom’s collection that’s worth listening to,” she amended. “What about you?”

“Well, other than the occasional song by Silky Sounds or Tequila Sunrise, I mostly like hard rock: Hoofstomper, Mute Math, Of Mice & Men, and all the good stuff.” A sudden thought crossed her face, as she blurted, “Oh, that reminds me! I have to get the new Discord album from my friend Rainbow when I get a chance – I’ve been waiting all month for his new album to come out and she told me she got a copy of _Tom the Mighty Rock_ yesterday.”

To Sunset’s surprise, both Octavia and Twilight looked at each other as if something clicked before Octavia asked, “Rainbow? As in Rainbow Dash?”

_Uh-oh._ “You know her?”

“Well, we know _of_ her,” Twilight explained. “We have this girl on our school’s JV soccer team, Fastflyer, and she’s a complete bitch. Anyway, at the start of a game last month between your school and ours, Fastflyer apparently said something to Rainbow that must’ve pissed her off completely, because apparently a few minutes later she kicked the ball hard enough to smash Fastflyer’s nose – broke it, too. Got the message across, apparently.”

_Well, that explains why Rainbow was suspended from school those two days,_ Sunset said to herself. Even still, though Rainbow wasn’t her friend at the time, she was now, and Sunset felt compelled to defend her. “Hey, Rainbow’s cool. She probably didn’t do it on…okay, she probably _did_ do it on purpose, knowing Rainbow, but there was probably a good reason for it. Rainbow’s really big on loyalty and nothing pushes her buttons faster than someone talking shit about her friends.”

“Yeah, one of the cheerleaders at our school said she’d overheard Fastflyer call some girl named Fluttershy ‘an autistic flower-child cunt’ or something like that. You know her?”

_Yeah, that would do it,_ Sunset thought; frankly, that would probably be enough to make her go after Fastflyer as well. “Fluttershy’s a friend of mine as well, a really nice girl. Actually, Twily, you remind me a little of her.”

“Hopefully that’s a good thing,” Twilight answered.

Sunset nodded in the affirmative. “It is; Fluttershy’s a great girl. Actually, I hope I can introduce you to all my friends – I think you’d really like them all. They’re not the most normal bunch of girls, especially Pinkie, but…well, that’s part of their charm, actually.”

Octavia nodded. “That’d be nice. What do you think, Twily?”

“Um…no offense, Sunset, but let me take things a little bit at a time. Still kinda getting used to this agreement,” she said. “Not that I think your friends are bad or anything, but….”

“No, I understand; if anything, that’s the kind of answer Fluttershy would give as well, to be honest,” Sunset admitted. “Plus, there’s no rush; someone I know once told me that the magic of friendship is everywhere.” Though she was talking to one Twilight Sparkle, inwardly, she was thanking another; the alicorn princess’ words were coming in quite handy. _Thanks, Twilight,_ she said to herself.

However, the human Twilight gave Sunset a nonplussed look before saying, “Um…whoever told you that, Sunset? That’s kinda…cheesy.”

Octavia, however, grinned. “You know, Twily, that sounds exactly like something _you’d_ say, come to think of i—” The teen never finished her statement as she was immediately beaned by a well-placed pillow to the head, thrown by Twilight.

  


A second later, there was a knock at the door, followed by Velvet poking her head in. “Girls, I know you three are having fun, but you should really call it a night, okay?” When the trio groaned, she added, “I’ve got to get up early, get us all fed, then drop off both Spike and Sunset before heading to work. Twily, your father will be taking you and Tavi to school tomorrow. So with that being said, cut us old folks some slack, okay?”

“Fine, we get the message, Mom,” Twilight answered.

“We were just wrapping up anyway, Aunt Velvet,” Octavia answered. “And I need to get up early anyway, if I’m going to take a shower before these two hog all the hot water.” When her answer earned her scowls from the other two teens, she asked coquettishly, “What did I say?”

Sunset chose to ignore that and instead addressed Velvet. “Besides, I’m guessing that Principal Celestia will want to see me before class starts,” she hazarded.

“Most likely,” Velvet agreed. “Goodnight, girls; see you in the morning.” With that, Velvet closed the door, leaving the trio in peace.

About an hour later, Velvet noticed that the lights were still on. _Girls, it’s two in the morning,_ she mentally grumbled. _You three had better…._ Opening the door, she was prepared to scold the trio…but stopped.

Though the lights were on, the three girls were asleep on the bed. Though Twilight and Octavia had separate beds in Twilight’s room, the two had been so comfortable with one another they tended to sleep together even as teens, so that wasn’t odd. But in the center, seeming as though she’d always belonged, was Sunset. There was a hint of a smile on the girl’s face, as though she subconsciously knew that for the first time in a long while, she didn’t have to fear being alone. Velvet had no doubt whatsoever that tonight would probably be the best night of sleep that the troubled youth would have had in a long, long time.

A motherly smile crept onto the face of the fifty-something woman. Quietly entering the room, she bent down and kissed her daughter on the forehead, then her niece. And after a slight second, she did the same to Sunset. Taking care to be quiet, she slipped the comforter over the trio, gazing at them one last time before she turned off the light switch.

“Good night, my sweet girls,” she whispered warmly before closing the door.


	66. 7DSJ Book 1 Ch.7

# November 17: Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

Lazing on the steps of a decaying building in the Industrial District, a pair of young women sat. One was a dark-skinned girl with white hair in a short-but-feathered hairstyle; she wore a white sweatshirt, brown leather jacket and grayish-tan jeans that were frayed at the bottom, matching well-worn yellow sneakers. In contrast, the girl next to her was a blonde, wearing an aqua tracksuit that seemed to gleam in the light. Considering the contrasts, it was hard to believe that the two were friends. But they were, close friends and in fact, thick as thieves – with an emphasis on the _thieves_ part.

Pulling the last cigarette from the pack, Gilda lit it and took a drag. As she did, her friend rolled her eyes. “You know, I’m not sure what’s going to get you faster: shoplifting those things or chain smoking them.”

“Oh, shut the hell up, Dust,” Gilda growled. “And aren’t you supposed to be at track practice today?”

Lightning Dust laughed. “Yeah, and what, they going to kick me off the team for blowing off practice again? Spitfire, Fleetfoot and the others – ain’t none of them faster than me and they know it! It’s why they’re all jealous that they can merely run, but I can _fly_. Just watch: tryouts for Olympic quals are next year and watch who’ll make the cut – I can promise you it _ain’t_ gonna be Spitfire!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, Lightning.” Gilda had heard more than enough of her friend’s bragging; when it came to ego, the only one who probably topped her was that sophomore, Rainbow Dash. “So, what’s the plan for the day?”

“Dunno, I got nothing. What about you?”

“Garble’s got Breakfast Club today, so gotta wait until he’s out before we can do anything. After that? Well, I can get creative.”

“Hope you’ve got a thin layer of latex covering that creativity,” Lightning jibed. Leaning back, she said, “And this is why I don’t date guys. All it takes is the wrong fun and Olympic fame is ruined because of a baby bump. _No thank you_ – I’ll just stick to who I’m doing.”

“And speaking of which, how’d that work out? You were telling me about a pair of twins?”

“Oh, yeah!” Lightning’s face lit up with a wolfish grin. “Met them at the Regional Track Meet last month, all the way out in Ponyville. Flitter and Cloudchaser – fast, sleek, the way I like them. Well, my running got them all creamy in their panties and when they told me so, I bet them that if I set a new record for the 400 meter dash, I could have them both; if not, I’d have to entertain the guy of their choosing.”

“And?”

“Set a new record by a full second, of course. And when they were over my house last week?” Dust’s smile was wide. “They got Brazilians, just for me! And oh, Flitter? She moans like no tomorrow, and Cloudchaser’s technique? I don’t have to wonder where she picked _that_ up.”

Gilda shook her head. “Guess it’s true what they say: everything’s better when sisters are together, huh?”

“Oh, you betcha. Got another date set up with them next weekend. Guess I’ll have to read up on the _Kama Sut_ —” Dust suddenly trailed off as she watched a person get off the bus at the stop across the street. “Hey, Gilda, is that who I think it is?”

“Fuck, yeah, you’re right – what the fuck is that bitch doing here?” Gilda wondered, her eyes narrowing. “Either way, I owe that cunt for all the shit she gave me, _plus_ the fact that _she’s_ the reason Garble’s doing Breakfast Club.”

“Well, just you and me, and she’s stupid enough to come here, so…let’s introduce her to the wide, wide world of pain, shall we?” Lightning suggested.

“Heh, don’t have to tell _me_ twice,” Gilda said, reaching for a rusted-off piece of pipe that was previously a stair handle.

_I shouldn’t be here,_ Sunset thought to herself as she got off the bus. For one, the bus only ran through the Industrial District on the way to the freeway and the stops in the suburbs to the south; since it was a weekend, the line ran every two hours, so it was going to be a wait. Shining was on patrol today, so if worst came to, she could probably call him for a ride, but he’d probably want to know why she was here as well – and he’d probably tell Velvet and Night and she’d probably get grounded.

Part of her wasn’t even sure why she was here either, but…she had to come. There was really no other way to explain it. Walking the block towards the lot that held the rattletrap building she called home for the past four years…she knew there’d be nothing there; by now, all the possessions she’d had in that building were probably at the bottom of a trash pile at the County Landfill just outside the Everfree National Forest. But still, she had to come.

To her surprise, work had been done fast; they either were truly concerned about squatters or wanted the distro center up quickly, because the main support stanchions had already been laid, giving the general shape of the facility – it took up both her old lot as well as that of three others. Despite the construction trucks and the building materials, there was a clean, antiseptic feel to the whole place, as if it had pushed away the rotting buildings and detritus of the past, determined to throw it all down the memory hole.

And if all that had come before here was now gone, what did it say about her own life here?

As she ignored the NO TRESPASSING sign and walked onto the grounds, she could almost picture how things had been just even scant weeks before: living on a diet of canned food, sleeping on a dingy mattress and taking cold showers on a regular basis; she’d been lucky that the magic within her must have prevented her from becoming sick or worse through all those years. But the magic hadn’t protected her from the loneliness, or the bitterness, or in the end, what she became.

“Is this what you _really_ meant for me, Celestia?” Sunset spoke aloud, speaking to the sky – and to the alicorn somewhere in a realm beyond it. “Is this my _real_ punishment? For me to start to find some little bit of happiness here before you yank me back to Equestria to do whatever you’re going to do? After I’ve really started to finally adjust being here? _Is that my punishment?_ ” Sunset wondered if her former mentor was truly that cruel – but then again, this was the ageless mentor who had beaten unspeakable monsters and countless threats to all of ponydom – Princess Celestia was _more_ than capable of utter ruthlessness, regardless of her normally kind and caring demeanor.

When she went back to steal Twilight’s crown…had that really been what Sunset had thought as a chance, or a carefully-laid trap to ensure that the sun alicorn would know where she was? Were the younger alicorn princess’ words to her a suggestion to improve her life…or a warning that someday divine punishment would come on brutal ivory hooves?

That day would come, eventually, she knew. It could be any second now. Or tomorrow. Or maybe ten years from now, when she’d likely have so much more to lose – maybe a husband, children (assuming she could have any), a life. Ironically, she knew, stuff that had not even remotely been on her mind when she first arrived here.

_Please, Princess, if there’s any mercy within you, just leave me here in the dungeon and throw away the key. There’s a human saying about it being better to rule in hell than serve in heaven? I don’t even want to rule anymore – I just want to live my life._

Of course, she didn’t expect an answer. Then again, she hadn’t expected to have a sudden, violent blow at the back of her head. The hit crumpled her to the floor, followed by a sharp kick to her barrel. By the time she’d mentally corrected herself to “ribs”, the pain had already started, she was being hit in a few more places and heard a female laugh. She tried to force herself to her feet, only to feel a fist slam across her face as an all-too familiar voice was laughing at her from behind and above: “ _How you liking this now, huh?_ Ain’t nobody here to save you now, Shimmer!”

Stumbling forward, she managed to scramble to her feet, only to take a punch to the stomach that knocked the wind out of her. As she gasped for air, she saw a black blur arc towards her, and while she moved instinctively to dodge it, she was too dazed to move accurately and the bar found its mark, tearing a jag of flesh and drawing a splash of blood from the side of her face. Her vision grayed out momentarily, but before she did, she thought she saw a—

STAB

“NO!”

The next part was a detonation of cyan-hued light and power as Sunset’s survival instincts, suddenly triggered by the serious injury, threw off a wave of magic. Her two assailants, not prepared for the assault, were thrown a ways from Sunset; Gilda crashed behind a stand of I-beams, while Lightning was thrown towards the grass by the sign. As for Gilda’s knife, it spun in a third direction, sinking into the rubble and detritus on a dump truck stationed on-site, ready to take industrial garbage to the county landfill.

As Sunset’s eyesight came to, she had just enough presence of mind to pull out her phone. Hands becoming even number by the second, she was able to dial 911 before passing out.

“Look, I don’t know who’s saying it, but I promise if I find out, I’ll put a stop to it…Yeah, of course! You betcha!...’Kay, Cloudy. Talk to you later. Bye!” As Rainbow disconnected the phone, she swore underneath her breath.

“Something wrong, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. The pair was at the Sweet Apple Supply Stop, Canterlot’s only farm market and organic food store, mainly because today Applejack’s family got in a new supply of the apple-flavored soda that Rainbow was virtually addicted to.

“Yeah. Just talking to some old friends that live out in Ponyville. Remember Cloudchaser and Flitter?”

“You introduced us to them when we went with you to the State Regional Championships back in March, why?”

“Well, apparently someone in school – _our_ school, no less – has been spreading rumors that they’re not only sleeping with somebody, they’re having a three-way with that person… _and_ each other. They found out because someone on the track team for Appaloosa High just propositioned them.”

Applejack’s eyes showed her sudden revulsion at her friend’s words. “T-that’s _disgusting_!”

“No shit, AJ. I’ve known them since I was a kid; they’re two of the coolest people I know, and they don’t deserve that shit. I swear, if I find out who it is, I’m going to beat the fuck out o—” She was interrupted by the sound of a bike crash outside. The store’s front door was thrown open and as both turned, they saw Fluttershy standing there, gasping for breath.

“Fluttershy! Fhut the wuck? What’s up?” Rainbow asked.

“AJ!” she gasped, struggling for breath. “Need…your help! Rainbow, you too! Gotta…pick….”

As customers in the store were starting to look her way, Applejack’s father simply took the distraught teen by the hand and led her towards the store’s back end while Macintosh went to go get Fluttershy’s bike. Both Applejack and Rainbow took the hint and followed. Finally, as they were in the stock room, Applejack asked, “Now, what’s gotcha all a-flutter, Flutters?”

“We gotta go get Rarity and Pinkie and then go to the hospital!” At that, both AJ and Rainbow knew something was up; Fluttershy’s mother Posey was a doctor at County General, and that usually meant something bad.

“Sure thing, Flutters!” Applejack replied. As she had to drive the store’s delivery van on occasion, she was one of only two in their group who had a driver’s license, Rarity being the other due to her job working for the bridal boutique down the street. “Is everything okay?”

Fluttershy’s next words stopped both Applejack and Rainbow’s hearts: “It’s Sunset – she’s been stabbed!”

“No, officer,” Sunset said as she lay on her hospital bed. “I didn’t really get to see who did it.”

“What were you doing there?” Shining asked, standing there both worried and angry. When the call came over the radio, he had an uneasy feeling, but when the other officer present had described the stabbing victim, he went into overdrive, having arrived at County General even before the ambulance and on-scene officer.

“Shining, I understand that you’re a member of her family,” the interviewing officer said, a testy look in his eyes, “but…let me handle this, okay?”

“Yeah, sorry Whiplash,” Shining said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

“Look, Shining, I know it was dumb of me, but…I had to go,” she said, shivering slightly as her body recovered from the wound. “I had to see if—”

**“SUNSET!”** Twilight and Octavia rushed into the room, followed in short order by Velvet.

“Easy, Twily, she’s not dead,” Shining said. “Doctor said that the knife missed her vitals, but they’re going to keep her here overnight for observation.”

“Are you okay?” the purple-haired girl asked, worry in her eyes.

_She’s worried about me? But I…._ Sunset looked and saw the same level of concern within Octavia’s and Velvet’s eyes as well. And obviously Shining had been concerned enough to head over here while he was still on duty.

“Spike and your father are on the way here from Spike’s Little League practice,” Velvet told her son, “so if you need to go, we’ll be here.”

“I don’t think it’s going to be a problem if I stay,” he answered. “Whiplash, do you—”

“No, not at all,” the other officer said. “In fact, since you’re family, she might just open up to you more than a stranger. Just give me a copy of the report so I can file it. Just don’t forget to keep it professional or the Sergeant’ll chew your ass out like he did with Cruiser last month.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Shining nodded as the other officer departed. With that, he then looked at Sunset. “You were saying?”

Sunset just couldn’t help but turn her head away from them. The looks of hurt and disappointment in their faces was more than she could bear. “The place was my home for four years, Shining,” she told him. “I appreciate everything you have all done for me, really, but when I first arrived...in town, I mean…that place was all I had. And…I had to go back. Haven’t you ever wanted to see where you came from?” she asked.

The look on Velvet’s face was sympathetic. “I know how you feel. After my mother passed away three years ago, we all spent in an extra week in San Diego, where I’m originally from, so I could show the kids the, _ahem_ , ‘cheese tour.’ So I can understand – those years were probably the hardest you’ve ever faced, because you did it entirely alone.”

“But you’re not alone anymore,” Twilight said, giving Sunset a huge smile. Reaching over to take one of the injured girl’s hands in her own, she said, “You’re with us now, Sunny, and we’re always going to be here for you.”

A curious look came over Sunset’s face. “‘Sunny’?” she drolled.

Twilight smiled. “Yup!” she chirped happily. “Just gonna call you that from now on – it suits you better; ‘Sunset’ sounds too dour.”

Octavia nodded slightly. “Just roll with it, Sunny. You stay in this family long enough you get a vowel attached to the end of your name. It’s how it works,” she said with a grin.

“Girls, I know you’re worried about her, but I need to finish up the report,” Shining admonished them.

“Sorry, Shiny,” both Twilight and Octavia said at once.

“Well, this is probably a little too overwhelming for you,” Velvet admitted, “so we’ll just wait outside until Shining is done. Let’s go, gi—”

  


**“SUNNY!”** Pinkie belted out as she strode into the already-crowded room, carrying a huge cake adorned with the words GET WELL SOON SUNSET OR ELSE WE’LL REALLY FEEL SAD IF YOU DON’T AND SINCE WE’RE YOUR FRIENDS AND YOU DON’T WANT US TO FEEL SAD OR CRY – ESPECIALLY FLUTTERSHY SINCE YOU KNOW HOW SENSITIVE SHE IS – THEN YOU’D BETTER GET WELL SOON SO WE CAN HAVE A BIG ‘SUNSET GOT WELL, WOO-HOO!’ PARTY AT THE CAFÉ! “We were rea—” Pinkie suddenly stopped.

“You know, I am _never_ going to figure out how she does any of the stuff she does,” Rainbow said, shaking her head as she entered the room.

“It’s Pinkie, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said softly. “She just has a way with things.” Fluttershy would have said further to her friend, save that both of them stopped, enraptured at the same thing that caught her friend’s attention.

“Sunset, dear,” Rarity said as she strolled in, a package under her arm. “I know how simply horrible and drafty those hospital gowns can be, so I stopped by the hospital supply store and got you one of those colorful nurse’s smocks that they wear. I hope that you….” Rarity suddenly paused as she also caught what the others were looking at.

“Rares, you make a better window than a door, so do you mind….” Applejack was now caught by what her friends were staring at. Indeed, all five were completely enraptured by the image that was before them.

As the quintet stared at Twilight, she suddenly felt self-conscious. “Um…is there something on my face?” she asked, blushing.

“Toldja you should’ve skipped the extra barbecue sauce,” Octavia said from behind her.

Suddenly, Pinkie started vibrating as a wide smile came over her face. It would have been imperceptible to anyone else, but to those who knew her well enough, they knew exactly what was about to happen, and what needed to be stopped immediately. Sunset gave her friends a pleading _Get her out of here now!_ look, and seeing her silent plea, the others snapped into action.

“C’mon, Pinks,” Applejack said, reaching out to grab the hyperactive teen while Rarity carefully stepped in to remove the sizable cake from Pinkie’s hands before she went supernova.

“Fluttershy, be a dear and help me with this beast of a cake,” Rarity asked. “I’ve no idea how Pinkie carried it and it’s rather – _ugh_ – heavy.”

“Here, let me help you with that,” Rainbow offered as she stepped in to grab the other half of the two-foot-tall cake. As the two made their way out of the room, Fluttershy was there with the others and smiled meekly before murmuring, “Um, hi…we’ll…be outside.” Before they could even acknowledge her, Fluttershy rushed out of the room as fast as she could.

“Your friends?” Velvet asked, a somewhat amused smile breaking onto her face.

Sunset facepalmed. “I wonder if there’s a way I can stay here in the hospital for the rest of my life,” she moaned.

“It’s _her_!” Pinkie chirped, vibrating with excitement fast enough to practically break the speed of sound on her own. “It’s really, really, really, really _her_!”

Applejack shook her head. “No, sugarcube, it’s not. You know it’s not,” she said, patting Pinkie on the shoulder. “This is the one that belongs here. We don’t know her.”

“That, of course, doesn’t mean we can’t get to know her, however,” Rarity said as she and Rainbow hefted the huge cake out of the room while the various medical staff stared at them all. Eventually one of them got the hint and brought a gurney up so that the girls could put the sizable foodstuff on it. “Thank you sir,” the teen fashionista told the nurse. “Would you mind seeing if you have any cutlery and plates? We have more than enough cake for everyone.”

“Probably more than enough for the whole hospital,” Rainbow muttered.

“Girls? What are you doing here?” The rest turned to see Fluttershy’s mother, Posey, walking towards them. The woman looked much like her daughter, almost like an older sister than anything else and for a woman in her late forties, she held her age very well.

“Hi, Mom,” Fluttershy said as she stepped out of the hospital room. “They’re, _um_ , with me.” Once again, Rarity eyed mother and daughter and was amazed about how nearly identical the two looked; save for Fluttershy’s slightly larger bust and Posey’s half-inch or so extra in height, they easily could have passed as siblings.

Posey shook her head. “Flutters, dear, I called you because I wanted you to know…but I wasn’t expecting you to bring your friends. Sunset will be out tomorrow; we’re only keeping her overnight for observation and further testing,” she said.

As the five girls signed in relief, Fluttershy gave her mother a very contrite look – of the Bambi kind. “Sorry, Mom.”

Posey smiled in response. “Sorry, puppy-eyes aren’t going to work on me. I already used them on your father, twice; that’s how I ended up with you and Angel.” At that point, Velvet, Octavia and Twilight walked out of the room as well and Posey offered a hand to the family matron. “Ms. Twilight Velvet, I presume? Hi, I’m Dr. Posey. I understand you’re the legal guardian of Sunset Shimmer?”

“That’s correct. Is she going to be okay?”

At this point the orderly returned with supplies and Pinkie immediately started cutting the cake, handing the servings out. As Posey took one, she said, “Okay, since you’re all here, I may as well tell you. The good news is that the stab wound didn’t do any serious damage; she’ll be fine and thanks to the minor surgery she will only have a tiny scar there. The bad news – if you can really call it that – is that we have to keep her here overnight because we have to do a second round of blood tests.”

“Why is that? I know she’s…had some issues in the past before she ended up with us, Doctor,” Velvet asked. Behind her, Octavia and Twilight shared worried looks; at the same time, the five friends did as well. While Velvet, Twilight and Octavia were worried about Sunset’s overall health, the five Canterlot High teens were worried about something of an entirely different nature when it came to the injured girl – _quite literally_ an entirely different nature. “Is there something wrong with her overall health?”

“Well, she’s a bit malnourished, but as my daughter Fluttershy knows her,” Posey said, motioning to the chiffon-haired teen, “I was somewhat aware of her past. No, my concern is that she’s got a very rare antigen in her blood, and we couldn’t use any of the standard stocks we have on-site. Fortunately, we were lucky enough that she didn’t lose a lot of blood, and we’re an FDA Phase III test site for Hemopure synthetic blood, so we were able to administer some of that – but I _will_ need you to sign some release forms, Ms. Velvet.”

“Very rare antigen?” Twilight asked, her interest piqued.

Posey nodded. “Yes. She’s got what’s technically known as A2B-negative blood, which is found in only two percent of the national population. The antigen in question is usually found in ungulates, primarily equines – horses, specifically – and very rarely in primates, much less people.”

“Y' don’t say,” Applejack drawled, though she said nothing further.

“But we’ll do some extra tests, and if we confirm her as A2B-negative, we can contact UCLA Medical Center down in Los Angeles. They’re the regional control point for the National Emergency Blood Supply, and as I understand it they carry stocks of A2B-negative.”

“But will she be okay?” Twilight asked once more, and the other girls looked at her. The teen looked worried, as though she was about to lose something important in her life.

“We have my colleague, Dr. Redheart, working on the tests now – she’s the best there is. Don’t worry, Sunset will be fine, I promise.” The resulting sighs in the hallway were enough to make passersby think the building was deflating. Finishing up the cake, she said to them all, “Now, I hate to run, all, but I’ve still got to make my rounds. Fluttershy, I’m going to be home late tonight, and since your brother’s staying at his friend’s place for the birthday party, you just need to take care of yourself, okay? I can just grab a salad in the cafeteria.”

“Okay, Mom. See you later,” Fluttershy said, giving her mother a peck on the cheek before Posey headed off on her rounds.

  


“Well, so, you’re all Sunset’s friends?” Twilight asked as she looked at the other girls present. They were all looking at her with a mixture of surprise and familiarity, as if they knew her for some reason. The only one that looked familiar to her was the girl with the deep purple wave hairstyle, but that was more from the times she’d just happened to see her at the mall more than anything else. The rest were completely foreign to her.

The blonde wearing the waist-length ponytail nodded. “Ah’m Applejack, and this is Rainbow Dash—”

“Heya.”

“—Rarity—”

“An absolute pleasure to make your acquaintances,” Rarity said, with a smile.

“—Fluttershy—”

“Um, hi,” Fluttershy squeaked, trying to hide behind her hair, the piece of cake she was still eating and Rarity while trying not to look impolite.

“—and the hyperactive girl over there is Pinkie.”

“Hi, Twilight!” Pinkie said, leaping at Twilight almost instantly and enveloping her in a hug. “Say, do you like Twilight or Twi? Because the last Twilight we knew kinda liked it, but we weren’t sure and we can’t exactly ask her now because she went back to her home dimension an—”

“Okay, Pinks, you’re overwhelming the girl,” Rainbow said, pulling the curly-haired teen off Twilight.

“Is she usually like this?” Twilight asked, half-confused, half-amused and wondering if she should be offended.

“No, usually she’s too out there to be this freaky,” Rainbow replied, giving Pinkie an irritated glare.

“Well, I’m Twilight Sparkle, and this is my cousin, Octavia Melody.”

“Well, girls, I’m not sure the hospital is the best place to do this,” Velvet said, noting that Night Light and Spike were coming out of the elevator, both looking concerned as well. “Let me update my husband on the situation quickly. In fact, while I’m doing that, why don’t you all go out for coffee?”

“I know where the hospital cafeteria is, if we all want to head there,” Fluttershy offered.

“Great idea, Flutters,” Pinkie suggested.

Twilight looked at Velvet. “Mom, maybe we’d all best meet in the lobby?” the teen recommended.

“That’s a great idea,” Velvet stated. “You all head there and we’ll join you as soon as we can.”

“So, how do you guys know Sunset?” Twilight asked, taking a drink from a double-chocolate raspberry mocha. From the looks on that of both Twilight and her cousin, Applejack noted, this seemed more like an interrogation than anything else – this Twilight _definitely_ didn’t seem as friendly as the alien princess that they knew.

Applejack started. “Well, Ah met her when we moved here to Canterlot couple of years ago from Heavener, Oklahoma – mah family had a farm there, but things didn’t do too well so we moved here to take over mah grandpa’s old store. So Sunset and Ah met then, in junior high. And truthfully, let’s just say things’re better now than they were back then.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Rainbow continued. “As for me, I’ve probably known her the longest. Met her back in Seventh Grade when I moved here from Cloudsdale. She was a bitch back then and we’ve done a couple of _mano a mano_ dances, but…I like her the way she is now.”

Rarity was next. “Well, Fluttershy and I met her last year during our freshman year. It…didn’t go well, and frankly if you’d asked me back then, I would have said I wouldn’t want to have a single thing to do with her. Thankfully, I’ve been proven wrong.”

“Pass,” Pinkie said. A second later, she said, “She used to pick on me a lot because I’m somewhat excitable, admittedly, but I never let it really get to me. But now that she’s my friend? It’s _totally_ awesome!”

“Well, what about you two?” Rarity asked. “Forgive me for inquiring, but you seem _very_ concerned about her well-being, considering that neither of you are related to her.”

Twilight took another sip from her coffee, then looked at Rarity. “She…I know this is going to sound funny, but I almost feel as though I _have_ to be there for her. Yes, she’s living with us now, and Tavi and I could probably ignore her without an issue. But from everything I’ve known about her for the past month, she was someone who’s been hurt terribly, someone who’s been forced, in a sense, to live by herself all this time, and has nothing, really. From what it sounds like, she didn’t even really have you as friends until recently.”

The five girls looked at each other. “That’d be truthful, Ms. Twilight—”

“Please, just call me Twily,” the girl said. “If we’re going to be friends, then Twily’s fine.”

Applejack grinned. “Then it’s ‘AJ’ for me. Anyway, yeah – after the incident at Homecoming, we came into her lives the way we are now.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Rainbow said, popping herself into the conversation, much to Applejack’s relief. While she didn’t want to lie to Twilight and Octavia, she’d never been very good at falsehoods, as if being honest was an elemental part of her life. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on the situation), Rainbow’s thing was loyalty to friends and as such, she had no compunctions about lying. “Yeah. Earlier, she was a total sack of shit. But that night, after the building fell apart and she got dumped from being the Homecoming Queen, she came to the five of us. Maybe it was because she picked on us more than anyone in the school, or maybe it was because she felt we’d be able to give her a second chance, but she promised us that she’d change her ways, and in the past few weeks, she has been. And she knows that lots of other students at school won’t give her a second chance – hell, a few of them, are probably even carrying a grudge. But she’s really trying and for that, she’s got _my_ friendship, no doubt.”

“Mine too,” Applejack agreed.

“I daresay that goes for all of us, ladies,” Rarity added, while Fluttershy nodded.

“Well, girls, if you’ll keep an eye out for her at school, we’ll do the same at home,” Octavia answered. “Oh, and by the way, you can just call me Tavi.”

“Sounds like we’ve got a plan then,” Rainbow said. “Now, the next thing: gotta find out who the fuck did this to her.” Turning to her fellow Canterlot High students, the athlete then said, “Based on who we know could have done this, my guess is…” Her face went crestfallen as she added, “…pretty much any student on campus except the five of us.”

“Really? _Please_ tell me you’re kidding, Rainbow,” Octavia said, somewhat surprised at Sunset’s “accomplishment.”

“No, I’m not. And maybe there was a time where you could have theoretically added us to that list, too,” Rainbow told the other girl. “But it’s different now. Whatever she’s done in the past, Sunset’s my friend now and I’m not going to let whoever hurt her do it again.”

_She found herself standing on the thinnest of planks, crossing a gigantic gorge that she could not see where she came from or where she was headed – if either direction actually existed. Below her, she saw nothing but a massive chasm, similar to either Ghastly Gorge back in Equestria or the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Above her, the sky was nothing more than a blank, bulbous collection of thunderheads, the kind that pegasi steer clear of at all costs, as they are out of control. In fact, she noted tiny rivulets of bluish-white plasma race through the clouds, darting here and there as the lightning precursor prepared to cut a sharp jag across the sky._

_“You’ll never escape, Sunset,” a voice said behind her. Sunset turned to find Princess Twilight Sparkle standing there on the beam, her wings and horn prominent and her regalia shining like the first gleaming of the sun. “You will always run, because you aren’t willing to change.”_

_“But I am, Twilight!” Sunset shouted. “You asked me to and I’m doing so! It’s just…these things don’t happen instantly. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know –_ or _Canterlot, for that matter!”_

_“But you are running out of time, Sunset! And instead of learning, all you’re doing is just running away!”_

  


_“No, she’s not!” A second voice broke the din. Sunset turned towards the direction she was walking…to face Twily standing there, arms folded. She was wearing all black, and looked like something out of one of those ridiculous sci-fi films that Rainbow always raved about._

_“And how would you know?” Twilight asked Twilight._

_“Because I believe in her!” the human shouted to the alicorn, “And if you truly cared about her, so would you! She’s trying to turn over a new leaf! Her friends have stood by her and now her family will, too!”_

_“She has no family. She spurned the one she had when she attacked Celestia.”_

_“She has_ us _! Me, Tavi, my brothers, my parents, and whoever else will come into her life! And we’ll help her to make that life!” Twily shouted._

_“Then prove it,” Twilight Sparkle challenged Twilight Sparkle._

_Twily responded to the challenge by reaching a hand out to Sunset, saying, “Let’s go home, Sunny.”_

_“But why? Why me?” Sunset asked._

_“Because you aren’t who you were. Before, you were Sunset Shimmer, a power-obsessed unicorn. Now, you don’t know who you are. But you know who you want to be, and we’ll help you, Sunny.”_

_“We?” In response, the distance lit up with five flares of power: orange, red, blue, purple and green; after a few seconds, Sunset could see the silhouettes of Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy within them. She then noticed that Twily was glowing magenta as well – the same color that the Element of Magic had been before it rejected her._

_She heard a noise behind her and turning, Sunset was horrified to see the demon that she had been, standing there, laughing at her. “Run away, run as far as you can!” the creature laughed. “You’ll never be able to escape the worst monster you’ll ever know –_ yourself _!” The demon would have laughed more had it not been suddenly slammed by a sudden blast of rainbow-hued magic. Sunset winced sympathetically; she understood what it was like to be on the receiving end of a “Greetings from the Death Star”-type magic blast before, and it was not pretty._

_Suddenly the plank beneath her snapped, and she fell…_

_…only to be caught by the hand by Twily, standing there, pulling her up as effortlessly as a feather._

_“Why?” Sunset found herself asking._

_Twily only smiled and said, “Because.”_

  


Sunset opened her eyes in the relative darkness of the hospital room, lit only by the blue glow of the health monitor’s LED screen and a desklamp on the other side of the room. She felt completely exhausted, but she expected that as she was still recovering. The rest of her convalescence would be in bed back at home, but far better that than having to stay another day in the dull and antiseptic environs of the hospital.

Seeing that the clock on the wall read a stately 11:06 in the evening, Sunset decided that it was for the best that she go back to sleep. She was about to close her eyes, when she felt her right hand brush against something. Looking down, she picked up a Smarty Pants ragdoll. She recalled hearing somewhere that the doll had once been a competitor to the better-known Raggedy Ann, but that the toymaker that produced it went out of business back in the 1980s. The character had thus fallen into the public domain, and was mostly forgotten by about all but senior citizens and collectors.

Holding up the rag doll with its button eyes, gray yarn hair and polka-dotted dress, Sunset then noticed there was a note pinned to it:

Sunset grinned. Ignoring the pain in her side, she reached over and grabbed the iPod, putting in headphones, then as she took Twily’s Smarty Pants doll under her arm, cued up the first track, and by the time Discord’s smoky baritone started belting out the lyrics to “Love’s Like an Insane Chimera” she had already dozed off, a smile on her face.

“And you promised to take me to singing practice after school, right?” Sweetie Belle asked Rarity as the pair arrived on the grounds of the school.

“Yes, yes, yes, I promise,” Rarity said. Since she had to run a bunch of errands after school today, she was borrowing her mother’s car, and then when that happened, Sweetie made her agree to that as well. Rarity sighed; at least it wasn’t taking her to her weekly Girl Scouts meeting. Those usually involved her, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo in their latest madcap adventure to see what badge the trio could collect…and usually the results fared from a royal mess to the results likely needing to be classified as a Superfund cleanup site.

“Okay, you promised!” she said in that wavering mezzo-soprano tone of hers.

“Yes, I did, Sweetie,” Rarity groaned once again, rolling her eyes. “Now get going.”

“Okay! See you later!” With that, the girl ran down walkway towards the nearby separate building that housed Canterlot Junior High and all the trouble-making seventh- and eighth-graders within its middle school bounds. Sweetie, along with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, would be graduating this year, then joining their older sisters within the buildings that housed Canterlot High. But, Rarity figured, she still had the whole year to figure out how she was going to survive being in the same school as her sister again.

“Hello, Rarity.” The fashionista paused and saw Fluttershy walking up, wearing a familiar butter-yellow sweatshirt that was entirely too snug for her own good and had a stenciled pair of wings on the back. She also wore too-tight jeans and matching yellow Converse sneakers. Rarity sighed; as always, Fluttershy somehow managed to look devastatingly good in whatever she wore…and furthermore, wasn’t aware of it.

“Hello, Fluttershy, dear. You look tired.”

“I am,” she admitted. “Apparently some of the kids at the birthday party were picking on Angel, so the birthday boy’s mother dropped him off before he got into another fight.” Rarity sympathized with her friend; Angel had been born hearing-and-speech impaired, and while he was patient with his sister and mother, that same patience rarely extended beyond them. From what she heard, Sunset’s younger foster brother Spike could be somewhat of a brat, but surely he couldn’t hold a candle to Angel’s temperament.

“Anyway, I had to order a pizza – he insisted on it – and then had to get him ready for bed, and that was before I realized I forgot to do my homework since we were all focused on Sunset. I was up – _yawn_ – until about three in the morning,” she groaned. “I know we were planning to take Sunset her homework and then go to the movies afterwards, but if you don’t mind, I think I’ll skip out on that.”

“Oh, no, I’d quite insist, darling. A lady needs her beauty sleep and yours is such a delicate beauty that I wouldn’t want…you…to….” As they approached the front of the school, the pair noticed a bunch of students standing around in a sizable crowd. Usually that meant something “interesting” and _that_ could go either way.

As one of the students passed by, she stopped him. “Excuse me, do you know what that’s about?”

“Yeah,” he laughed. “Bitch finally got her comeuppance! Glad to see that someone had the stones to knock Sunset Shimmer a peg or two down from her almighty throne!”

“Sunset? But she’s in the—” Rarity began before Fluttershy shook her head to hint to keep silent; that information likely wasn’t public yet. Rarity took the hint and together they went off to see what the crowd was doing.

  


As they arrived in the crowd’s immediate perimeter, Rainbow and Applejack were already standing there. As they arrived, Rainbow immediately took the chiffon-haired teen and said, “C’mon, Flutters, you don’t need to see this.”

“But I—”

“ _Trust me_ – you _don’t_ need to see this.” Her tone insistent, Fluttershy followed Rainbow as the pair walked towards the other side of the school and the entrance here.

“Dodged that bullet,” Applejack said to Rarity. “Ah’d say ‘Good Morning’, but honestly, it _ain’t_. Pinkie already went to go get a teacher.”

“Why?”

“Trust me, sugarcube, you don’t wanna know. Ah know you’re made of sterner stuff than Flutters, but even you don’t wanna see this.” The look in the blonde’s eyes indicated that she hadn’t necessarily wanted to see it, either.

“I insist.”

“Rares—”

“Some jerk said it was about Sunset. I think, as her friend, I should be quite concerned.”

“Yeah,” Applejack said in a soft voice, as she pointed towards the pile of students. “You _should_ be.” As Rarity made her way towards the center of the pile, she noticed one of the other students in her geometry class – Bon-Bon – rush away towards the grass before she threw up her breakfast. Bon-Bon’s girlfriend, Lyra Heartstrings, was already there to help her, but the look in Lyra’s golden eyes was one of anger and disgust.

Finally, Rarity reached the center of the pile and looked to see what the whole thing was.

She had just enough time to get out of there before she threw up as well.

**Author's Note:**

[Yup, I actually made that stationery.](http://shinzakura.deviantart.com/art/Lucky-Cat-stationery-446039414?q=gallery%3AShinzakura&qo=0)


	67. 7DSJ Book 1 Ch.8

# November 18: Promises and Lies

“I should’ve known,” Sunset sighed. The look on her face was one of complete heartbreak.

“Dear, it’s just a jacket, and a…well, frankly, I never thought it looked good on you,” Rarity told her, even though it was likely a statement Sunset didn’t want to hear. The injured teen wasn’t too happy to hear that her jacket had been stolen by her assailants and set on fire in front of the school the following Monday morning. That in itself was bad – the stench of burnt leather tainted Rarity’s sensitive nose a half-day later, a sign that it would be lingering for a while. But just that alone would have been horrific; other students noticed that the jacket had been doused with what looked to be blood and…. Rarity shuddered in revulsion at that second thought; cleaning up after her pet cat Opalescence was one thing, but to have it smeared all over the garment? Small wonder that she, Bon-Bon, and a few other students had lost their breakfast on the front lawn that day.

But it had been the note, written on cardboard and set carefully away from the flames, that had been the _piece d’ resistance_ : a somewhat misspelled but nonetheless tasteless and rude manifesto clearly indicating what Sunset’s mother could do to herself, Sunset’s lineage, and various other insults. It was more than enough to infuriate Rarity on behalf of her friend, and just as much the others in their circle. But none too surprisingly, the school had reacted in the usual manner: the faculty held an impromptu all-classes session in the auditorium, where Principal Celestia promised that unless the student responsible for the act came forward, there would be repercussions for the whole of the student body. Of course, the students involved never stepped forward and Celestia reacted accordingly by announcing that the Winter Wonderland Dance would be cancelled as a result.

“Yeah, but the jacket was the first thing I’d ever bought here on this world,” Sunset told her, “because I needed one and I really liked it.”

“But, the ‘biker’ look, quite frankly, is a bit gauche and not at all your style,” the fashionista told her. “Truth be told, I always felt it looked like you were screaming ‘I shop at Abercrombie!’ with that jacket. There’s so much more that looks better on you, really.”

“Thanks.” Sunset smiled wryly as she then added, “You know, the ironic thing about all this is that it wasn’t that note that bothered me. I mean, honestly, it’s probably true from a technical standpoint.”

“Sunset, dear, you can’t possibly—”

“No, Rarity, you misunderstand: what I’m saying is that my species probably _could_ do half the stuff that the letter says; it’s just part of the way we’re built. Plus, with magic, well…you never know.”

“You really do still have magic?” Rarity asked.

“A little – it tends to waver depending on the cycles of the moon and some other stuff. I can do divinations, cantrips, and charms – the easy stuff. For heavier spells I’d need to be in my _real_ form, and even Princess Twilight couldn’t figure out how to do that on this world.” Sunset paused in contemplation for a second before she asked Rarity, “Can you lock the door really quick?”

“Certainly,” Rarity said, figuring that Sunset was about to show her something.

As Rarity sat back in the chair once more, Sunset put her palm out, and a cerulean ball of fire appeared in her hand, giving Rarity a slight startle and then a soft gasp of awe. A second later, the sphere of energy twisted into a small figure, eventually creating a miniaturized version of Sunset’s true form.

“This is what I _really_ look like,” the bedridden teen told her friend.

“You _really are_ a unicorn?” Rarity asked. “I thought you were being facetious that one day, and then when the princess changed us all into those hybrids I thought that you might have been descended from an equine species, just like we humans are from primates, but I never actually imagined….”

“Now you know how I feel when I first got here,” Sunset laughed, then pantomimed her earlier reaction from years ago: “‘A sapient species _descended from monkeys_? Impossible!’”

“Why are you sharing this with me?”

“Because…well, think of it as an apology. I know I ruined the Spring Fling Dance for you back in April because I called you a fat cow. Truth is, I’m probably more like a cow than you’ll ever be, Rarity. And you have no idea how sorry I am for those words I said back then.”

The fashionista got up and embraced her friend. “It’s all in the past now, Sunset. Besides, we’re friends now, and we can just be miserable together, considering that Fluttershy probably looks better than both of us combined,” Rarity said, a melancholy smile coming into her face.

“Does she have _any_ idea of how drop-dead gorgeous she looks?” Sunset asked.

“Well, I know that Applejack’s brother Macintosh said if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s been dating his girlfriend since their sophomore year, he’d ask Fluttershy out. Personally, I think he’s very attracted to her, but is too much of a gentleman to cheat on his girlfriend, since they are very good together.”

“Yeah, I’ll have to admit, Mac’s easy on the eyes,” Sunset agreed.

A wry smile came over Rarity’s face. “Oh, really? I wondered why you were dating Flash Sentry, but I guess that having a young man around is okay for you, regardless of species?”

Sunset blushed. “Rarity, I _am_ a woman in my prime, you know. Besides, it’s kinda funny: there’s that weird theory I read once about how human girls are subconsciously attracted to horses in general, but maybe because they’re my genetic ancestors it doesn’t affect me. On the other hand, I…well, let’s just say there’s a lot of things I did in the past that I wish I could take back, but what’s done is done.”

  


Suddenly there was a knock at the door. While Sunset cancelled the spell, Rarity unlocked the door, and as she did, both Twilight and Octavia stood there, in their school uniforms. “Oh, hello, Rarity – what are you doing here?”

Octavia leaned against the door jamb and grinned. “So, did we interrupt any moments of young love?” she asked as she folded her arms.

“Well, I dunno, Tavi,” Sunset replied cattily, “considering that you, me, and Twily have already slept together.” When Rarity looked at her oddly, the flame-haired girl added with a grin, “ _Platonically_ , of course.”

“Oh.” A second later, the fashionista continued. “Well, as for me, I thought I’d come by and drop Sunset’s homework off. And you’ll have to excuse me; Sunset thought I should see the wound and I was concerned that your little brother might walk in accidentally.”

“Unfortunately, Spike _does_ have a bad habit of wandering in where he’s not wanted,” Twilight admitted, “but I love the little guy all the same. Anyway, I popped in to say that since my parents and Tavi’s are headed out to the opera tonight, we were going to make dinner. Grilled cheese sandwiches and soup okay with you, Sunny?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I’m not sure I can keep down anything heavy right now anyway.”

“Oh, and you’re welcome to stay for dinner as well, if you’d like, Rarity,” Twilight offered.

She shook her head, stating, “Thanks, but no; I have to pick up my sister from her singing practice, and then I’ve got to head to work for my shift today. But I sincerely appreciate the thought.”

“Rarity?” Sunset said from her bed, “thank you for everything. I mean that.”

“Sunset, dear, you should know by now – that’s what friends are for,” Rarity said, bending over once more to give her friend another hug. “Besides, after today, I daresay we’re closer now than we’ve been before.”

“That we are,” Sunset agreed. “That we are.”

Seated in a booth at a Denny’s just outside of Ponyville and just off the Interstate, a very agitated young man with blue-hair and wearing a US Navy Blue Angels sweatshirt sat next to a rainbow-haired girl wearing a Mickey Mouse hoodie; she was currently sipping from a strawberry milkshake and occasionally looking out the window. The guy finished off his Coke and groaned.

“Look, Rainbow, not that I _mind_ taking you places,” Soarin’ told her, “but could you explain to me why I had to drive you all the way out to Ponyville? Fuck, the gas alone, not to mention the 220-mile round-trip and my car needs new tires….”

She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Soarin’, I really appreciate this, okay? I mean it. Aside from my friends, you and Spitfire are the only ones I can trust, and this is important.”

“Yeah, well, you owe me a date for this one,” he told her.

“Fine, fine, fine. Movies this weekend, okay? My treat.”

“Works for me. So who are we meeting again?”

“Rainbow!” The voice called out in stereo, and two very hot teens, the kind that you usually found on the “Barely 18” websites that Soarin’ occasionally looked a…that _Soarin’s friends_ occasionally looked at, not that he would know what they were, embraced his sometime-girlfriend. The slightest irreverent thought ran through his mind, and he buried it immediately, lest Rainbow put a fist in his face shortly.

“Hey, Cloudy, Flits, have a seat,” Rainbow said, as the twins plopped down next to her. It was then that Soarin’ noticed that as hot as they looked, they were dressed somewhat conservatively – hell, considering that Ponyville was a farming community 112 miles east of Canterlot, that shouldn’t have been too surprising, all things considered.

“Cloudy, Flits, this is my… _sorta_ boyfriend, Soarin’. He plays basketball for our high school varsity team. Soarin’, this is Cloudchaser and Flitter, a couple of girls I went to school with before I moved to Canterlot.”

“Yeah, we were all living in Cloudsdale way back when,” Flitter said – and she had the cutest voice ever! – before she continued with, “But in our case, our dad got a job here in Ponyville as the town vet, so we moved to our grandparents’ horse ranch and, well, here we are.”

“Yeah, the girls run for Ponyville’s track team, and they’re fast as lightning,” the rainbow-haired athlete said.

Cloudchaser shuddered. “Ugh, Rainbow, do me a favor and _don’t_ remind me of that skank – I can’t believe that she even said that shit.”

“Uh, someone want to fill me in on what’s going on?” Soarin’ asked.

“You… _may_ have heard a rumor about us going around your school,” Flitter said, nervously adjusting her hairbow.

Soarin’ rolled his eyes. “It’s about you two?” When the twins nodded, the blue-haired youth rolled his eyes. “Sorry to hear that. All week I’ve been hearing some of the guys just invent the most outrageous crap about it, and it just seems to get worse and worse. Hell, Garble was just saying at practice this morning that his girlfriend Gilda wrapped you two up as a gift for him while she was on the rag and that you two work for pretty cheap.”

“Oh, God, we’re going to be ruined!” Cloudchaser said, slumping burying her face in her hands as she started to cry. Flitter immediately moved to her sister’s side, embracing her and wiping her tears away.

“Rainbow, you _gotta_ do something!” Flitter said. “This is killing us – it might be all fun and jokes over in Canterlot and Cloudsdale, but in a small town like Ponyville…shit, the place is still like the 1950s at times! I can only imagine the shit we’ll be in if our parents hear about this!”

“And none of this crap is true!” Cloudchaser moaned.

“I’m working on it, girls. You have my word,” Rainbow said, “and you _know_ I don’t bail out on my friends!”

“Hey, I have really no idea what’s going on, but if you need my help, I’ll be glad to do whatever I can,” Soarin’ offered.

“Thanks, Rainbow,” Cloudchaser said in a sobbing voice. “You too, Soarin’.”

“Hey, Cloudy, anything for an old pal. You know that,” Rainbow said, before a thought came to her. “Cloudy, you mentioned something about not reminding you about somebody?”

“Yeah, you mentioned Lightning Dust, didn’t you?” the girl with the sky-blue, spiky-bob hairstyle replied. When Rainbow Dash shook her head, a light went on in Cloudchaser’s mind. “You know, this didn’t start that long after we were hit up by her.”

“Really?” Rainbow said, giving her friend a lidded look.

“Yeah. We were at the Regional Track Meet last month, when she came up to us and started looking at us like we were pieces of meat. Then she made that – _ugh_ – ‘proposal’. Well, neither sis nor I wanted to hear that crap, so we bet her that we could outsprint her in the 400-meter dash. Then she goes on about being Olympic material, and that we must really want it to bet her, and all that jazz.”

“Yeah, sounds like Lightning, alright,” Rainbow muttered. “Girl’s got an ego on her the size of a city block. So what happened after that?”

Flitter grinned. “Smoked her – ‘Olympic material’, my ass. I was easily a half-second ahead of her and Cloudy was even faster – she _barely_ missed breaking the state record. Another girl from Goldwater was behind us and ‘Ms. Gold Medal’ was a solid fourth. Oh, she was _not_ happy.”

A thought crossed Soarin’’s face. “Is it possible then that she spread the rumors just to get back at you two?”

“I have to wonder if that’s what happened,” Flitter replied. “Great – she’s a creep _and_ a sore loser.”

“Well, I’ll put a stop to any of the guys trying anything,” Soarin’ assured them. “There might be a few, but I’ll do everything I can.”

“And I think it’s time I had a _personal_ chat with a certain individual next time I see her,” Rainbow said, a wicked grin coming over her face as she smashed a fist into her palm.

Later that night, Sunset was gingerly changing into pajamas when there was a knock on the door. “Yeah, come in,” she said, figuring that it was one of the girls coming by to check on her; sure enough, it was Tavi. “Oh, hey, didn’t know you were staying overnight, Tavi.”

“Yeah. Mom’s been dying to see the opera since it’s in town, and I’m guessing your parents and mine are—” The raven-haired girl shook her head. “Listen to me: you’ve only been here a month and I’ve gotten so used to you being here that I accidentally referred to Uncle Night and Aunt Velvet as your parents. Well, they really _do_ think well of you.”

The smile on Sunset’s face fell. “Um…yeah.”

The look on Octavia’s face was one of bewilderment. “I…hope I didn’t say anything wrong.”

“No, it’s not you – it’s me,” Sunset said in a manner that hinted that she wanted to talk; Octavia immediately sat down and listened. “Tavi, it’s just….” She sighed, shaking her head. “Do you know the _real_ reason I went back there? I didn’t tell Shining the whole story—”

“I hope you didn’t lie to him,” Octavia interjected.

“—but I didn’t lie, either,” Sunset finished. “I guess I went back because I was wondering who I really am now. For four years, it was just me in that little room, on my own, me against the world and liking every moment of it. And now so much of it is slipping away – the place where I lived, my jacket….”

“That jacket must’ve been important to you. Rarity said you were more distraught about that than the note.”

“Yeah, I mean, I’m an orphan and I never knew who my parents were, so I can’t get angry about that. Furthermore, while I did have a guardian…a mother figure…I ran away of my own accord and I think, _no_ , I’m actually _pretty sure_ she doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore, else she would have come for me.” Sunset left out the rest of the detail; while she trusted Octavia, she didn’t know how to explain the truth.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive – I wouldn’t be here otherwise. But it was the jacket that was the first thing that was truly _me_. I know that sounds dumb, and maybe Rarity’s right that I bought it for all the wrong reasons, but it was the first step in making myself who I am. But now, I’m not sure that was the best thing. And now I don’t know who I am anymore.”

Octavia looked worried. “I think I’d better go get Twily as well, Sunny,” the teen said, rising from her seat.

“I’m already up,” a familiar voice said from the door. “I was making sure Spike was in bed and I overheard you two talking.” The purple-haired girl immediately sat down on the bed next to Sunset. “I knew something was bothering you, but when you locked the door and were talking privately to Rarity, I figured that you were just too embarrassed to mention it to us.”

“No, it’s not that—”

“We’re not offended, Sunny. She’s your friend, and you’ve known her far longer than you have us,” Twilight commented.

“Girls, it’s just that….” Sunset’s features screwed in concentration as she tried to search in her mind for the best way to explain what she really couldn’t voice. “I’ve just been on my own for so long, that I…I’m sorry. I feel caught between a rock and a hard place. I adore you guys – even Spike,” she said with a sloppy smile, “but even after all this time I still kinda feel like I’m not sure I belong. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I….”

“I hope we’re not—”

“No, of course not! You guys dropped _everything_ to get to the hospital when I ended up there. That says everything right there!”

“Not if you’re still doubting yourself, Sunny,” Twilight said, as a sad look came over her face, even if just briefly. “Look, I know I’ve said this before, but…we’re your family now. And maybe Tavi and I can’t always understand what you’re going through, but we’re going to be here for you, always, no matter what. Sisters always are.”

“Um, Twily? How can you even think that? I’ve been here just for a few weeks now.”

Octavia added, “Yes, and yet you heard my earlier slip-up. It’s like you belong here now, Sunny. Besides, if Uncle Night were here, I know what he’d probably say: ‘Weeks can be but a lifetime and a lifetime’s not meant to be wasted on sorrow.’”

“Besides, you _do_ like my parents, right?” Twilight asked.

“They’ve been nothing but wonderful to me, even when I haven’t deserved it,” Sunset admitted.

“Because that’s what family is, Sunny,” Octavia chimed in. “They’re always there for you, even when it doesn’t seem like it. Look at me: I’m an only child, and yet I’ve never had to worry about a lack of siblings, because I’ve always had Twily, Shiny and Spike there for me.”

“Besides,” Twily teased, “you _are_ your own twin, after all.”

To Sunset’s surprise, Octavia’s eyes narrowed in genuine annoyance. “I wish you’d _stop_ mentioning that, Twily – it’s _really_ creepy.”

“No it’s not!” Twily defended. “I think it’s _absolutely_ fascinating! I—”

“—am _not_ a science experiment, Twilight,” Octavia said in a firm tone; it had been the first time since Sunset had known them that Octavia had ever used her cousin’s full first name.

“Yeah, I know, but I just think that it’s really neat, especially since it’s biology, which is fascinating in and of itsel—”

“Look, Mr. Spock, can we just drop it and get back to helping Sunny with her issue?” Octavia said, groaning in frustration.

Finally Sunset had enough of watching one cousin glare at the other. “ _What_ is she talking about?”

“I can’t believe I’m talking about this,” Octavia muttered. “Do you know what a chimera is?”

“Um, mythological thing?” Sunset’s only knowledge of it was from the song on Discord’s album. _Come to think of it, I think I remember something about something by that name in the Flame Geyser Swamp or thereabouts back in Equestria, but I’m not completely sure._

“No,” she sighed, “I mean the biological term.” When Sunset shook her head, Octavia continued; it was clear that she was doing so reluctantly. “Well, you know what fraternal twins are, right? At one time, I was apparently going to have a twin brother or sister, I don’t know. Well, apparently…he or she…is _me_.”

“Wat.” The look on Sunset’s face even seemed to unintentionally copy the internet meme she’d seen, though without a mirror she wasn’t aware of that. Twilight, who was, had to prevent herself from laughing, lest she further irritate Octavia.

“While I was forming in my mother’s womb…basically the fetus that was me and the fetus that was my sibling merged, kind of like the opposite of identical twins,” Octavia explained, quaking slightly at her clarification.

Sunset blinked. _Fusion? That_ actually _happens here?_ The thought of that freaked her out a little: fusion spells were some of the worst of the worst black magic spells out there, though there were natural cases of it occurring; she remembered from her lessons with Princess Celestia about griffin mythology and how the griffin species was created – lions and eagles were fighting each other in a horrific war of attrition and the sheer amount of magic caused a backlash, eventually fusing the two creatures into one kind of being. It had ended up being the only way the war between the two species ended, and the remaining lions and eagles disowned their merged counterparts, leaving the new species to forge its own path. But while the sun alicorn had explained that the story was just mythology, Celestia did give a real-world example of a white magic fusion: the alicorn herself, a combination of pegasus, unicorn and earth pony essences.

“I….” Sunset began, but quickly stopped, not even really sure of what she could say.

Octavia nodded sadly. “Yeah, I know. It’s extremely rare – rarer than your condition, even – but I’m carrying two sets of DNA.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how’d you find out? I mean, if it’s _that_ rare, it’s probably not something they check for often, I’m guessing,” Sunset inquired, the academic in her somewhat intrigued.

“Same way they found out about your blood: testing. In my case, when I was eleven, I had to have my appendix removed. When they did a check on my blood, they noticed that I was A-negative. Well, another doctor didn’t know my blood had been drawn, so he did it as well, but he came up with AB-positive. Since that can’t be possible – positive and negative bloodtypes normally mixed together can cause hemolysis, which is a blood disease – they immediately did a second round of tests on me, which is how they found out.”

“Wow,” was Sunset’s only response.

The look on Octavia’s face was suddenly fragile. “Do me a favor? It might seem cool to others, and it sounds like you’re comfortable with your unusual blood type, but to me, it’s always been kinda creepy – I had nightmares about it for days afterwards – and while I know Twily doesn’t really mean any harm by it, I’d rather the others not know. I’m sure they’re trustworthy, but…I’m just not comfortable with it.”

“No problem – I’m _very_ good at keeping secrets, more than I’d like at times,” Sunset assured her.

“Thanks, Sunny,” Octavia said, yawning. “Well, I dunno about you, but it’s been a long day for me and I’m gonna go to sleep.” With that, went over to Sunset’s dresser and pulled out a spare pair of pajamas. “Mind if I borrow?”

“You’re sleeping in here?”

“Great idea!” Twilight agreed. “It’s always better when sisters are together, right?” she added.

Octavia and Sunset looked at each other, then as they looked at Twilight, the pair reached verbal synchronicity: “Twily, do you know where that comes from?”

The look on Twilight’s face was one of perplex. “I heard some guys mention it at the mall the other day while we were in Spencer’s, why?”

Octavia blinked and Sunset facepalmed. Sunset then said, “It’s the name of a series of pornos where sisters – um….”

She looked at them with confusion at first, then wide-eyed disgust and shock a half-second later. “Ewwww! You guys are…. That’s _gross_!”

“She really doesn’t get out much, does she?” Sunset cracked to Octavia.

“Well, in my defense I can say I’ve gone out on at least _one_ date – with a boy from our sister school, the Muenchinger Institute for Young Men, and only because Dad wanted to strike a business deal with the boy’s father. Blueblood turned out to be a grabby creep who tried to cop a feel, but very fortunately for me, Shiny just happened to be on patrol that night and scared Blueblood to the point that he pissed his pants!” Octavia giggled. “After that, I decided that I’m just going to wait ‘til college, and I don’t doubt Twily’s much the same way.”

“Well, I did have a boyfriend not too long after I first got here,” Sunset admitted, “but he and I broke up. Good thing, too: the sex wasn’t worth it.” The other girls looked at her in surprise, and she said, “Look, I’ll admit it – I regret it. It’s part of why we called it quits.” _Well, that and he kinda started having a thing for your pony counterpart, Twily, but I won’t mention that._

As they waved goodbye to Night Light’s brother and sister-in-law as they drove off, Night said to Velvet, “We should really do this more often, love.” The pair unlocked the door, stepped into the house and as he helped her with her coat, he added, “The girls are obviously old enough now to watch Spike and we’re not getting any younger.”

Velvet nodded in agreement. “Plus, it’s great spending time with Evening and Ballad,” she admitted. “With them always on the road, we don’t get to see them as much. I know Ballad’s privately admitted to me that Tavi’s over here so often that sometimes she fears I’m more her daughter’s mother than she is.”

“Yeah, Evening’s told me more than once that’s why they didn’t try for a second kid,” he told her.

“Well,” she said, yawning slightly, “I’m going to check on the kids and then head to bed. Long day tomorrow, including the parent-teacher conference; I’ll be meeting with Tia, Lulu and a few other teachers regarding Sunset.”

“Nothing bad, I hope,” Night asked as he removed his own longcoat.

“No, but I suspect they’ll bring up her recent injury. Hopefully Tia’ll have more information,” Velvet guessed.

  


As both adults ascended the stairs, the first place they checked was their son’s room. Spike was out like a light, though the TV in his room was still on, the telltale sign that he’d been playing videogames past his bedtime again. She was going to have to talk to him about that tomorrow and come up with an appropriate punishment.

Next was Twilight and Octavia’s room. The beds were made and unused, which probably meant that…

Sure enough, heading to Sunset’s room, the trio was asleep together again. As a maternal smile came onto Velvet’s face, she knew that having the troubled teen come live with them had been the right move. Tia had said in an email conversation that since the new arrangement had come about, Sunset was paying more attention in class, her grades were no longer borderline abysmal and she wasn’t giving the faculty conniption fits. The last was confirmed by Lulu, who added that she’d seen a marked improvement in Sunset’s behavior, given that she was a barely-controlled hellion at one point.

_But now she has us,_ Velvet thought. _Now she doesn’t need to face the world alone anymore._

“I know what you’re thinking,” Night said from behind her. “And yes, I agree: this was the right thing.”

“I’m glad you think so,” she said, not taking her eyes off her girls. “Here I am, Assistant Director of Equestria County’s Department of Social Services and I’ve never been a foster parent myself – somewhat hypocritical, given that I’ve had to tell countless foster parents over the years what to do. And by Sunset’s reputation, she was probably the worst possible choice – Tia’s only come around in the last week or so.”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m glad she turned out to be wrong.”

“So am I, love,” she sighed as he put his arms around her while they watched the girls dozing gently. “So am I.”

The following morning, Sunset woke up alone. That didn’t surprise her; with parent-teacher conferences going on at school today, the students had the day off, but that was at her school, so Twilight and Octavia had to head in. As she got up, she heard a commotion downstairs, and wondered who it could be, as she thought she was the only one home. Quickly taking a shower, she went downstairs to dig something out of the fridge, then maybe get caught up on her homework.

“So I see you finally decided to join the world of the living.” She saw Night Light sitting there, nursing a cup of coffee. “Can’t say I blame you; you’re still recovering from your injury and that can take a lot out of a person.” He looked at her and said, “There’s some Hot Pockets in the freezer if you’re hungry. Not the greatest thing in the world for breakfast, but I suppose it could be worse.”

“I’m surprised you’re here,” she told him.

“So am I,” he agreed. “Apparently they moved up the installation of some new equipment in the building on campus where I teach,” he explained, “so classes got cancelled for the rest of the week. Would’ve been nice if they’d told me that yesterday.” As Sunset threw a pair of the breakfast pastries in the microwave, he looked at her and said, “So I understand that your jacket was stolen and destroyed by whoever hurt you.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Caused a commotion the next day at school when whoever took it made a display of the whole thing.”

Night took another drink of his coffee and frowned. “I know she hasn’t mentioned it, but…Velvet and I really aren’t happy about you heading to the old warehouse, by the way. You could have been injured far worse than you were, Sunset. That part of town isn’t all that safe during the best of hours, yet you went there during the weekend, when there was no one around.”

“I—” she began, intending to tell him that she’d spent four years there relatively unmolested, so what was there to worry about? But then she looked at him and saw the disappointment in his eyes and seeing that flickered something within her. There was an unknown factor about his pained gaze that hurt her inside. She couldn’t really explain why; she’d faced plenty of teachers before, many of them male authority figures, and she rarely gave a flying fuck about what they thought. But regardless, the let-down visage on the gentle man sitting at the table made her feel guilty about everything that had occurred in the past couple of days.

“I’m sorry,” she told him, meaning it. She didn’t know what else to say, so she poured herself a glass of orange juice; it would be less awkward than the silence that was sinking in.

“I know,” he told her. “Velvet told me everything and I certainly understand how you feel, Sunset. I’ve been there myself sometimes. But it’s already mid-November and it should be snowing soon. We’re going to have to get you a replacement jacket.”

Sunset trembled, both at his words about the weather and at the behest of her memories; her first month here had been a January and the snow had fallen hard. She’d arrived completely in the nude – she never did understand how the princess had arrived with clothing when she came over – and had watched others from a distance, then focused enough to make raw approximations of clothing. She later found the money and with it, bought a jacket that had been mismarked at the mall. She’d cherished it, but like so many memories of her earlier years here on Earth, they were now just that – memories.

Meanwhile, Night continued to look at her as she ate the Hot Pocket and appraised her, as if he was pondering an issue. Finally, getting up from his chair, he said, “C’mon. I’ve got something to show you.”

“Okay,” she said, wolfing the last bite, draining the glass of juice and following.

  


They went over to the closet, and Night Light wasted no time in digging into the closet. “Ah, here it is.” He brought out a leather jacket, military style – and not just a military style, but according to the tags on the inside, the insignia and the flight patch, an actual military fighter pilot’s jacket, complete with the patch that read:

> NOCTURNAL BREEZE “PEGASUS”  
> LCDR USN

“This used to belong to my brother, Nocturnal Breeze. Unlike my younger brother Evening and I, Nocty was a military man – he was a fighter pilot for the Navy. He loved flying those fighter jets – think he flew the F-18, if I recall correctly.”

“Was?” There was something about the word that hung on the older man’s lips.

Night nodded. “We lost him during the Gulf War back in the 90s. He was a damn good pilot, we were told, one of the best, and he was probably going to be in the Blue Angels someday. But something went wrong on his aircraft and it went down without him being able to eject – the Navy confirmed that he hadn’t been shot down; it was a mechanical malfunction that did him in. He’s buried in Arlington, with honors – but both Evening and I would rather have him back, as would our parents.” The man was silent for a moment, the words having brought back memories not long buried to the forefront.

“I’m sorry,” Sunset said once again. One of the things she’d had to catch up to speed on was the number of conflicts that various groups of humanity had with others of their own kind. At first, Sunset thought that, given her relatively aggressive nature – not common for ponies – she’d fit right in with her then newly-adopted species, but as of recent, she’d begun to wonder if Princess Celestia set the mirror to this world in order to exile ponies like her; unrepentant miscreants that might do enormous damage to Equestria, but here on Earth would be likely seen as nothing more than small-fries, or would be dealt with by the authorities here.

“Not your fault; you weren’t even born then,” Night assured her as he set aside his recollections, unaware of Sunset’s own thoughts. “Anyway, one of the things he had was a few of these jackets. I was told the Navy only gives out a couple of these things as standard-issue to their pilots, but he loved the damn things so much he’d bought several more for reasons I’ll never know. My dad has one, as does Evening and myself. And now,” he said softly, “this one’s yours.”

Sunset paused for a second, stunned, but then soon found her voice – somewhat: “I…I can’t. It’s not….” She was flustered; this was more than just buying her clothing or anything of the sort; this was a family heirloom. While she had nothing of the sort on her own, she could certainly understand the concept, and was now certainly reluctant to take what had to be a valued treasure from their family. “But what about Shiny? Or Spike? The girls?”

Night shook his head. “As much as I would love to give this to Shining, he’s a little too broad in the shoulders for it to fit him; besides, Shining already has all of his uncle’s medals in a display – he felt that would be enough to remember Nocty by. And Spike’s got one as well; someday he’ll be old enough to fit into his. As for Twily and Tavi? Neither of them wanted it and they have their own keepsakes of their uncle. Besides, you need a coat for the winter months – I understand it’s going to be a bad one this year – and I think my brother would do the same thing if he were here.”

She took the jacket as though it were a sacred item, gently slipping it on; somehow, it felt more _right_ wearing this than the jacket she’d just lost. “I’ll treasure this always,” she told him, meaning every word of it and starting to become overwhelmed by the mixture of feelings running through her.

“I know,” he told her. “Besides, if you ask me, you look good in it – better than that old jacket. Just…do me a favor and don’t get stabbed again and have this one stolen as well.”

She was still overcome by the moment. “I don’t know…I just….” She started to tear up again. Night did the only thing he felt he could do: take the girl into an embrace, holding her as she stood there, shuddering from the tears.

“I don’t deserve any of this,” she told him. “I don’t deserve to have any of you.”

“It’s not about deserving or not deserving,” he told her. “It’s not even really about what you want, Sunset. It’s about what you _need_. Everyone needs someone in the end, and the only ones that don’t are either lying to themselves or worse. No one in the family sees you like that. You went back there because you were wondering what happened to your home…. Well, here it is: this is it. This is your home now.”

“Hey, Spitfire!” Rainbow specifically showed up to soccer practice an hour early, because the track team would still be working out this afternoon. She usually didn’t socialize in the same circle as the junior and with the vastly different schedule the two girls kept, this would be one of the only chances she’d have to put a stop to it.

“Heya, cuz!” Spitfire shouted as she walked towards her cousin, wiping the sweat off her brow with a towel before hanging it around her neck. Spitfire was the captain for the girls’ varsity track team and the honor was well earned; the junior held the current state record for the 200-meter dash and had almost broken the 400-meter dash. Track scouts for the US Olympic Team were already watching her and Rainbow couldn’t help but feel pride in her cousin’s accomplishments; she was, all in all, almost as awesome as Rainbow herself. “What brings you down here?”

“Looking for your favorite pain in the ass,” Rainbow growled. “Found out that she’s likely the ones behind the rumors about my old schoolfriends.”

“Yeah, heard about that,” Spitfire said, running a hand through her shaggy yellow-and-orange hair. “Those girls are good folks, and hate to see that shit. Anyway, the bitch is in the locker room; she blew a fuse because the rest of the relay team isn’t as fast as she is, even though she’s a fucking slowpoke herself.”

“Thanks.” Rainbow turned in the direction of the girls’ locker room before she felt Spitfire’s hand on her shoulder.

“Just…be careful,” the older girl advised. “She’s faster than you and I suspect she knows how to fight, and…call me crazy, Rainbow, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“That’s sweet, Spits. You almost managed to sound like Fluttershy there for a moment – almost, but not quite,” she teased.

“Rainbow, if I have to explain to Scoots why you’ve got a black eye….”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll be careful – bob and weave and all that shit,” she said as she walked off towards the locker room.

  


As Rainbow walked into the locker room, she could hear Lightning’s voice as she hit up another girl: “So, trust me, I’ll make you sing like an opera star—”

_“Sick bitch!”_ A figure ran down the lockers, almost bowling over Rainbow. The prism-haired athlete noted that it was another one of her soccer teammates, Roseluck – and she looked very agitated.

“Hey, Rose, you okay?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, God, Rainbow – I’m _glad_ to see a friendly face!” Roseluck pointed an angry finger in the direction she’d run. “I was getting dressed for practice and _that cunt’s_ been watching the whole time!”

“Hey, what can I say? You’re hot and nubile, and I bet you’re great in bed,” Lightning Dust said as she rounded the nearest stand of lockers. “Oh, and look, it’s Rainbow Dash! Wonder if it’s true what they say about you, too?” Reaching in her pocket, she pulled out a key. “You know, my house has a hot tub, and my parents out of town for the week…what’s say I introduce you two to the world of womanhood? Unless, of course, someone already beat me to it….”

“Uh, no, but you and I are going to have a _nice little chat_ about some bullshit you’ve been spreading about a couple of friends of mine – the names Cloudchaser and Flitter ring a bell?”

The leering look of thought on Lightning Dust’s face would have been comical had it not been for the thoughts Rainbow knew was running through the older girl’s mind. “Yeah,” she said suddenly. “Pair of twins. Kinda boring, really – they were more interested in each other than me. Oh, they took care of my needs well enough, but I think they were really just there for the chance to—”

Lightning’s words were cut off by Rainbow smashing a fist against a locker. “I _know_ you’re lying, you fucking skank. Just like I know you’re lying about what happened at the Regionals – I know that they blasted your ass and that you’re slow as shit. Face it: you’re just a jealous, unpopular carpet licker that is not only is a sore loser, but has no class, either. Small wonder you can’t get a guy of your own… _or_ a girl!”

Lightning’s eyes narrowed. “I’d watch what you say before I shove that fist of yours straight up your own pu—”

“Back your words up, bitch.” Rainbow brought her fists up, just as her father had taught her to if she ever needed to protect herself. And while she’d been in a few scraps before, she remembered Spitfire’s words: _I suspect she may know how to fight, Rainbow._

“Rainbow….” Roseluck said, afraid at the sudden escalation.

“Rose, get out of here,” Rainbow said, not taking her eyes off Lightning. “Let me handle this.”

“Be careful!” With that, the other girl raced out of the locker room.

“I almost had her,” Lightning said. “You owe me for losing out on that fine piece of ass, Dash.”

“Sorry, Rose is way too classy for you,” Rainbow taunted. “But on the bright side, I think her boyfriend might agree with you on her posterior.” Rainbow would have said more, had it not been for Lightning’s quick strike. While Rainbow had already been anticipating that she’d be attacked, she hadn’t counted on the speed of her assailant; Rainbow barely managed to dodge the first thrown at her.

_Shit, she’s fast!_ Rainbow thought as Lightning retracted the arm. _Fortunately, while I’m not exactly a track star, I’m no slouch in the speed department either,_ she thought, jabbing forward with her right fist. Unfortunately for Rainbow, her fist sailed through the area where Lightning had been just a few seconds earlier and connected with nothing, leaving her open—

—for Lightning to score a direct blow against Rainbow’s torso, knocking the breath from her. Rainbow collapsed to the ground, gasping; she hadn’t been hit like that before.

“Awwww, what, Dashie, not so fucking tough after all?” Lightning taunted, pulling the fallen teen up by the shirt. “I mean, after all, you clearly wanted me to show you how I did your friends because you wanted some of that action too, right?”

“Fuck you,” Rainbow snarled. “In case, you forgot, I have a boyfriend.”

“As if anyone’s going to believe the walking Gay Pride Flag. Everything you do screams butch, girlie, and I wonder: when you with him, do you imagine him as a girl, or are you the one wearing the strap—” Lightning never finished her word as Rainbow took that moment to take advantage of Lightning’s vulnerability, punching her in the stomach. While it was enough to get Lightning to release her, it didn’t last long.

Rainbow immediately took advantage of the situation, throwing another punch, aiming right at Lightning’s face. It connected, rocking the girl’s head back. But as she pulled back, Lightning immediately grabbed Rainbow and slammed her back against the lockers, kneeing her in the crotch. While it wouldn’t disable her on the same level as a guy, it certainly did hurt and gave Lightning enough time to grab Rainbow again and slam her face-first against another set of lockers.

Rainbow spat out a glob of blood that welled up when she bit her tongue; she was going to definitely feel that tomorrow. More immediately, she was going to feel the blow she took to the side as Lightning punched her in the solar plexus, making her gasp for air.

“Fucking skank,” Lightning said, wiping a rivulet of blood from her lips. “What, think I’m some pretty little princess like one of your buddies? No, I’ve been through enough dances, sunshine, and unlike you, I know how to handle myself.”

“Oh, hey, there you are!” A new voice rang out and both girls turned to see Gilda standing there, leaning against the locker. “Well, Lightning, I came by to pick you up – got tickets to the Floating Trashcans’ concert at the Broken Down Club at 7:30, but I guess you’re too busy in foreplay.”

Rainbow saw Gilda and the minute the two connected eyes, it did not look good. They had been friends once, back when they both lived in Cloudsdale on the same block. But something happened between them; Rainbow didn’t remember much, but she did recall that Gilda didn’t want to speak to her ever again, she said at the time. At the time, Rainbow’s mother assured her that she was just mad and that Gilda would come around in a week or two, but Rainbow later found out that her friend had moved to Canterlot two weeks later. They’d never made up as a result, and by the time both girls had found themselves at Canterlot High, they were very different people from the friendly children they’d once been…and were now definitely on different sides of the moral spectrum.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my old buddy Rainbow Dash. Hey, good to see you? Still fucking over your old friends? Or do you just save that for people who you don’t feel you owe apologies to?”

“Gilda, I don’t even rememb—” She was suddenly silenced as Gilda picked her up and slammed her, face first, against the wall.

“Yeah, well too bad for you, I _do_! My ass got beat that day thanks to you, you fucking cunt! My Dad tanned my ass within an inch of my life, just because you broke that flower vase and I had to cover for you!”

Part of Rainbow’s mind swam, trying to recall what had happened almost a decade ago. Had Gilda really been abused by her father for that? Had she really broken something as simple as a flower vase? Did her mother not want her to go over because Gilda was just being an angry child…or because Rainbow’s mother Firefly was concerned about her daughter’s safety? She’d have to ask her mother when she got the chance…probably after she got out of the hospital, which Rainbow figured she was going to be in soon, at this rate.

“You know, Rainbow,” Lightning said, as Gilda held her close, “we _could_ make all of this go away, but you’re going to owe me.”

“I already know what you’re going to say and my answer’s the same: _Fuck you_ ,” Rainbow snarled.

“You know, as much as I’d be tempted to take you up on that,” Lightning said, “I suspect you’re a lousy lay. But….” she said, “you _are_ going to give me a little something for my time, right?” Looking at Gilda, she said, “You got your knife?”

“Yeah, back pocket,” she said. “What’re you planning?”

“Well, I’m thinking I’ve got my phone on me, and I’m also thinking that Dashie here doesn’t need her shirt.” She looked back at Rainbow. “I’m betting you’re an A-cup, but let’s find out for sure, okay?”

“You wouldn’t _dare_!” Rainbow snarled, though she wondered if the girls were crazy enough to do it.

“Hey, you attacked _me_ , and I have a witness,” she said, gesturing to Gilda here. “So, no idea why you decided to go back outside topless, but hey, I’m sure you can live with the embarrassment.” Taking Gilda’s knife, she opened the highly-illegal switchblade. “New knife?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Gilda muttered. “Lost the old one after we got into that fracas with the baconheaded bitch on Sunday.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “ _You’re_ the ones that stabb—” She never finished her words as Gilda threw a vicious punch right at Rainbow’s face, hard enough to bruise and leave no doubt she’d have a black eye for a few days.

“Don’t even think about telling anyone, Dash,” Gilda warned, “or you’re _next_.”

  


“Too bad for you that's not happening,” an angry voice said and the three girls had just enough time to react before Gilda suddenly took three blows to the stomach, followed up by a chest punch. As Rainbow crumpled to the ground, she had just enough time to see a familiar blur of blonde hair move in front of her. “Wanna dance, gals? Ah’m _more_ than willing!” the voice snarled.

“AJ?” Rainbow asked, wondering two things: where the hell did she come from, and how the fuck did she move so fast? She would’ve asked more, but she suddenly felt careful arms helping her up, and she had just enough sense of mind to turn to see Roseluck helping her up.

“She was out walking her dog with her sister,” Roseluck said, “and I know she’s your friend, so I—”

“Bad move for you, you Goddamn country hick!” Gilda snarled as she recovered, bringing up her fists to fight. “Now I’m going to have to knock the freckles off your dainty little face!”

“You can _try_ ,” Applejack said, easing into a bouncing, rhythmic stance that Rainbow thought was odd. It was like some of the stuff she’d seen in the movies, but…where the hell did Applejack learn karate?

The answer came a second later as Gilda rushed her – only to be stopped by a single, brutal hook kick straight across the face. Gilda took the blow completely as it slammed her right into the lockers hard enough not only to knock her out in one blow, but crack the heavy plastic of the locker door.

Sliding back into a fighting stance, she looked at Lightning. “Guess your training was either shit, or you learned from watching too many of them chopsocky films?”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Lightning snarled as she attacked Applejack.

“Good as time as any to start learning, then,” Applejack said as she deftly moved, letting Lightning’s momentum carry her past the former farm girl. With a speed Rainbow hadn’t expected out of her friend, she grabbed Lightning, slammed her to the floor, and then grabbing her arm, placed her foot down on the back of Lightning’s neck. “Ever wonder what a neck brace feels like?” Applejack taunted.

  


**“THAT’S ENOUGH!”** The girls all turned to see the school’s boys PE teacher and football coach, Bulk Biceps, standing there, looking at them angrily. “Usually I don’t bother going into the girls’ locker room,” the muscular teacher said, looking at the five girls, “but when I hear screaming outside, that tends to catch my attention.”

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here, Coach,” Lightning began. “We were a—”

“Shut it, Ms. Dust,” he said. “I think I’ve heard enough, but I didn’t hear _all_ of it. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. Vice Principal?”

To the quintet’s surprise, Vice Principal Luna moved from her spot just outside of their view. “I’m glad that Coach Biceps asked me to retrieve some documents from the female PE teacher’s office for him,” she said, “as I wasn’t expecting to hear a confession, much less watch a fight between a few of my students.”

“Fuck….” Gilda groaned, nursing the bruise she was feeling as she was trying to recover from the hard hit she’d taken. _That bitch Applejack kicks like a fucking horse!_ Gilda thought to herself. She was so out of it that she hadn’t noticed the vice principal walking right up to her.

Luna strode over and took the knife on the floor by Gilda’s feet. “Let’s see: weapon on campus, which is against the rules… _and_ this is a switchblade, which as I recall is illegal in this state, Ms. Griffin?” The dazed teen had nothing to say; she knew when she was caught. But when Luna said, “And I thought I heard that this is a replacement for the one you used on Ms. Shimmer a few days ago,” her eyes turned to pinpricks of fear.

As Rainbow was able to get to her feet, she looked at her friend. “AJ – that was _awesome_! Seriously, where the hell did you learn that?”

“Well, y’know our next door neighbors, the Pagodas? Well, Mr. Pagoda runs a taekwondo _dojang_ , an—”

“Could we not talk about Chinese food right now, AJ? I’m feeling kinda queasy.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Taekwando is a Korean martial art, Rainbow,” she drawled.

“Oh.” A pause. “I, _uh_ , knew that.”

“ _Riiiight._ Anyway, because none of Mr. Pagoda’s kids were interested in learning the art, he offered to teach us, so me, Mac, and Bloomie all took him up on it. Not anywhere near black belt yet, but Ah’m working on it,” she said with pride.

“Well, as I was saying,” Luna said, taking charge of the situation again, “I am _extremely_ disappointed in you girls for doing all this – and I am _horrified_ for what I just learned about what you’ve done, Ms. Griffin and Ms. Dust.”

“But we—”

_“Save it,”_ Luna said with a tone that would brook no opposition. “I think you _all_ have some disciplinary measures awaiting you in the future.”

“My, my, my, that _does_ look quite fetching on you – far better than your old one,” Rarity said with approval as the girls met at Sugarcube Corner Café days later. It was Sunset’s first day out of the house since her recovery, and while the Cakes insisted that she didn’t have to come in for the Saturday morning rush since she was still recuperating, Sunset wanted to get out of the house and start adjusting to normal life once more. Besides, Saturday mornings tended to be slow, as most people liked sleeping in, so it wouldn’t be that bad for a start. So it was a pleasant surprise that it turned out to be a busy morning at the café…namely because most of the girls had went for breakfast, Twilight and Octavia included.

“Thanks, Rarity,” Sunset said, blushing as she took off her jacket, setting it on the coat rack. Outside, a blustery November wind blew, making her _very_ glad she’d received the gift – the wind was stiff enough that even if she’d been in her native form, she might have needed a cloak or weathersaddle for protection from the elements. The jacket was definitely earning its keep in safeguarding her from Mother Nature; now all she had to do was to, in her opinion, continue to make herself worthy of being its owner.

Seated next to Fluttershy, Angel made a complex number of hand motions as he told his sister something; Fluttershy had brought him along as their mother was working today and the teen wanted to spoil her brother. As the platinum-haired boy finished, Fluttershy said, “Angel says he wants one now as well.”

“Well, I got lucky,” Sunset told Fluttershy. “Otherwise, I guess he’ll have to join the military.”

Fluttershy signed back the reply and the boy frowned; though Sunset couldn’t read sign language, Angel’s sharp hand movements left little doubt what his reply was. “He said ‘That sucks’ – well, he didn’t _exactly_ say that, but…let’s just say that Mom’s going to scold him if he ever repeats what he told me,” she replied, giving her brother a reproachful look.

“Wow, and I didn’t even know that there was profanity in sign language, Flutters,” Octavia said.

“People can be very creative when it comes to the evolution of language,” Twilight commented. “I wouldn’t be surprised if sign language has a huge amount of profanity.”

“Twily, would you please not give him ideas?” Fluttershy asked, blushing.

“Well, I thought that he couldn’t hear we—”

“He can read lips,” the chiffon-haired girl replied. “Very well, too.”

“Oh.”

“Well, let’s change the subject: since Sunny’s back to normal now, I propose we all go to the movies today after work!” Pinkie said. “Any idea what we should go see?”

“Nothing violent,” Fluttershy said softly, and Twilight seconded that.

“Well, it’s it should be your choice, Sunny,” Octavia suggested.

“Well, there’s a few things that I’d like to go see,” she admitted, “though I wish AJ and Rainbow could join us.”

Pinkie’s usually cheerful demeanor suddenly dropped as she replied with, “I don’t think that’s gonna happen, Sunny.”

As one, the girls sighed.

Seated in an empty classroom in Canterlot High, three girls looked completely bored out of their skulls.

“I can’t believe this is happening to me,” Roseluck groaned, putting her head on the desk. “I guess no good deed _really does_ go unpunished.” She looked at her fellow detained students. “What did I do to earn Breakfast Club?”

“Hey, Rose, it could be worse,” Rainbow Dash said. At the moment, she looked like a mile of bad road, with a black eye, split lip and a sizable bruise on her right cheek – and that was only the visible injuries.

“Rainbow, I’ve got Breakfast Club today, you and AJ have it for this week _and_ next, _plus_ we have to write Principal Celestia a three-thousand word essay on ‘how to be a model citizen’! And if that’s not enough, Ms. Luna suspended us from the soccer team for the rest of the month!”

AJ chuckled. “Shucks, Rosie, not like it’s the end of the world: sure, we’re all here in Breakfast Club, but you’re here just one week, and Rainbow and Ah are here only for two, because of, _ahem_ , ‘prior good behavior.’ B’lesides, Ah’d rather have this than be in Dust’s and Griffin’s shoes.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Rainbow added. “Remember: Because of her antics, Lightning’s been suspended from school for two weeks _and_ she’s been kicked off the track team for good. And as for Gilda,” she said, her voice taking on a slightly sad tone, “she’s been expelled – she’s gonna hafta finish up the rest of the school year at The Blanks.” Roseluck shuddered at that; the Equestria County Alternative High School for At-Risk Students, down south in the suburb of Sunnytown, was nicknamed “The Blanks”, both for its mostly featureless building and the fact that the school had no sports or afterschool programs. Combined with the school’s brutalist architecture dating from the late 1970s and the fact that Sunnytown was the regional slum, The Blanks had acquired the kind of reputation that one usually afforded to foreboding locations in horror films.

“And if that ain’t enough, both Lightning and Gilda are gonna face charges for hurting Sunset,” Applejack added, “though Ah’m wondring why you’re so concerned ‘bout Gilda, Rainbow.”

“We were friends when we were younger, and frankly, I just don’t know what went wrong,” Rainbow admitted. “She was a good person once. Maybe, like Sunset, she can be one again, someday.”

The trio fell silent for a few, working on their essays, before Roseluck stopped again. “Look, AJ, I’m sorry I got you involved in this. And Rainbow, I really didn’t thank you for helping me out that day. As it is, after this, I’m grounded for a week, but when things are settled, lunch is on me first chance we get, okay?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow laughed, “I’ll let you know when _I’m_ no longer grounded. Mom and Dad basically grounded my ass for two weeks for this, plus I’ve got to do mine _and_ my sister’s chores.”

Applejack laughed uncomfortably. “Heh – Ah got _three_ weeks of grounding, plus doing mine, Mac’s and Bloomie’s chores, _plus_ got a lecture from mah sa-bu-nim _an’_ when Ah’m done with mah groundin’lg, _then_ Ah’m gonna have to clean the dojang. But Principal Celestia said she’d talk to mah parents and explain that if it hadn’t been for the fight, nobody would've found out who hurt Sunset.”

“Yeah, same here,” Rainbow added.

“Yeah, the Principal said she’d call my parents Monday,” Roseluck chimed in. “Even still, was it really worth all this?”

Rainbow and Applejack looked at one another. Rainbow had been injured in the fight, and while Applejack had gone unscathed, both had received punishment for their actions during it. But Rainbow had exposed Lightning’s lies in the process and protected her old friends, plus she’d saved Roseluck from an awkward situation. And as for Applejack, she’d rescued her friend from serious danger. And, as Vice Principal Luna had to admit, had it not been for either of them getting involved in the fight, Lightning and Gilda would have gotten away scot-free regarding their attack on Sunset – and for them, protecting a friend was always paramount.

Both girls leaned back in their chairs, smug smiles sliding nearly from ear to ear.

“Yup!” both said at the same time.

**Author's Note:**

In case anyone's wondering what Octavia's condition is...[yes, it exists.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_\(genetics\))


	68. 7DSJ Book 1 Ch.9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a Side story One Shot. 7DSJ: Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want by Shinzakura

# Haven't Had a Dream in a Long Time

“Sunset?” Rarity asked, adjusting her beret while trying to keep her mocha perfectly balanced on her lap. “We've been sitting here for a few minutes, and you've not said a single word.” The two were seated on a park bench by the sidewalk at a small park down the street from Canterlot High, both watching the autumn leaves, the passersby, and the world moving at a slower pace than either girl was used to.

“Sorry.” The flame-haired girl sighed before taking a sip from her pumpkin spice latte (or “white girl crack", as Rainbow often joked on Facebook, as evidenced from all the meme gifs she’d been posting the past week). Sunset then added, “I'm just feeling in a weird mood today. Just a lazy day, I suppose.”

“Well, today certainly _is_ the day for it. I mean, I don't think we expected to get a couple of extra days off from school this close to Thanksgiving, darling. Thankfully, my employer is enjoying a well-overdue vacation with her family in Utah this week, which of course leaves my schedule free as the proverbial bird.” She then added, “And it goes without saying that there’s little more that I’d rather do than to spend time with one of my closest friends.”

“Thanks,” Sunset replied, blushing slightly. “I’m pretty much free this week as well: The Cakes told me to take it easy this week since I'm still recovering from the stab wound.” As if on cue, she winced and grabbed her side, nearly spilling her drink. “I've probably used up all the magic I have in me just to ward off the pain, and now that I'm drained it's kicking into overdrive,” she apologized.

A worried look crossed Rarity’s face. “Couldn’t you just....?”

Sunset shook her head. “Not really. This close to the new moon, I’ll have no chance of pulling ambient magic off the lunar pass for at least another two weeks.”

“Then perhaps we should go indoors? I would hate to be the cause of your relapse, Sunset dear.”

“I'll be fine, Rares. Trust me, if I were in real trouble, the blood would have soaked through my sweater by now.” Seeing her friend blanche at that, Sunset swore at herself under her breath and added a quick, “Trust me, I’ll be fine. If anything, all the outdoor air will do me a world of good, given that I’ve been cooped up either in the hospital or home for the most part.” She would have said more, save for at that point a fire-hued maple leaf gently twirled down from its start point above to fall gently into Sunset’s lap. Looking at the leaf with a smile, she commented, “It’s times like this that remind me why autumn is my favorite time of year.”

“Oh?” Rarity inquired. “I would think that with a name like Sunset Shimmer, summer would be your personal preference.”

“You would think that, but you’re wrong,” Sunset explained. “I always liked the fall. It reminded me so much of, well, _me_ ,” she said with a smile as she reached out to catch a second leaf, this one burnished with deep reds and yellows, both the colors of her hair and that of her mane and coat as a unicorn. “Just think about how I was back then: selfish, spoiled and seeing a time of year when everything seemed to be personally tailored for my own entertainment. The Princess even got me a specially-knitted scarf that was enchanted to seem as though the leaves would always fall from one end to the other. It was neat, and I loved it – I’d probably have worn it everywhere, if it wasn’t specifically a cold-weather scarf.”

“My, that sounds fascinating,” Rarity cooed, and Sunset chuckled. With Rarity, she was never sure if her friend’s reaction came up because it was a story from her past back in Equestria...or because it was a story with royalty in it.

“Additionally, when I was ten, several of the Guild’s mages got together and planted a special tree in the royal gardens in my honor. They enchanted an oak tree, and they called it the Eternal Sunset Oak. For this tree, every day is autumn: it drops leaves that are burnished with my mane and coat colors and even as the tree’s leaves fall, new ones immediately begin growing, only to fall off days later.” A nostalgic, misty-eyed look came over the teen’s face. “It’s like a constant rain of leaves, always autumn.”

“That sounds absolutely wonderful, Sunset, dear,” Rarity added, picturing the tree in her mind, along with the image of her friend’s true form that she’d been shown the week before. “But if I may, you sound a bit...wistful.”

“It’s because I am.” Sunset downed the rest of her latte, and then with a basketball shot that would have impressed Rainbow, threw the cup into the trashcan six feet away. “I once thought that beauty was just for me and the Princess – that I deserved it. And as a spoiled and selfish filly that grew up to be a tyrant of a mare, it was all I could see. But now?” She looked at more leaves falling, then to the sugar pine growing in someone’s yard in the distance. Unlike the others, it was an evergreen, and would always remain the same. “Now? All I see is a metaphor for my life.”

“How so?”

“I did not heed my mentor...and I fell. I came here as a would-be conqueror...and I fell – _hard_. And now? I tried to start my change...and I fell once again, losing my home.”

“Sunset, _surely_ you don’t miss that horrid warehouse you called a home!” Rarity ranted.

“I do, and I don’t. Sure, living with my foster family is wonderful, but at the same time, I rolled the proverbial dice and lost. _And I keep losing._ How much more until I lose again?”

Rarity took a drink of her cooling mocha, and idly thought about asking Sunset to use her magic to reheat it, before remembering that Sunset’s magic reserves were low just pushing the pain away. Opting to deal with the lukewarm beverage, she continued. “I thought you were happy living with Twilight and Octavia.”

“I am. Believe me, they’re the sisters I never had. And my foster parents are great – it was even worth being grounded for disobeying. I feel like I have a family – _finally_ have a family.” But then Sunset turned away and said nearly _sotto voce, “And you have no idea how much that terrifies me.”_

“I don’t understand.”

“I have them, and I’m adjusting to them. I think the world of them, and I think they like having me around. And so with that in mind, I’m walking around on pins and needles wondering when the hammer will fall, something will go wrong and like an autumn leaf doomed to die–” For effect, she let go of the leaf she had in her hand and let it drop to the walkway, “–I will fail and fall once more.”

  


The two sat there, for the longest time, before Rarity spoke. “I have never known you to be a quitter, Sunset Shimmer, and I’m frankly surprised you’re thinking of that now.”

“I’m not quitting, Rares,” Sunset insisted. “Why would I?”

“Yes, indeed, why would you? So why are you even thinking it now?” Sunset was about to speak, but Rarity cut her off. “You are. You’re sitting here, thinking that autumn is a time of falling and failure, of death and loss. And maybe you’re right. But do you know what I think?” Rarity smiled widely. “I think you forget that autumn is a season of change.” She closed her eyes, and quote a line from prose:

_“Aprils have never meant much to me. Autumns always seem that season of beginning, spring.”_

Opening her eyes, she said, “That’s from the novel _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_ by Summer Crossing. And it very much sounds like he understood the meaning of fall. It’s a season of change, a season to slough off the old and embrace the new.

“Yes, you have had a bad go or two of it. But for better or worse, you kept getting up, embracing change and starting anew. That is the eternal meaning of change. And now you have a family who loves you and wants you there...or am I wrong about the new jacket?”

Sunset idly looked at the new jacket she’d been given by her foster father to replace her destroyed one. It had been a family heirloom, and not something that would have been surrendered easily. “No,” Sunset admitted. “No, I don’t think you’re wrong.”

“Of course I’m not, darling, you should know that by now,” she said with a wink and a grin. “But seriously. You have started another path, and you don’t know what this one entails. But I promise you, Sunset – you aren’t walking this path alone anymore. Your friends are there for you. Your family is there for you. And I am certainly here for you.”

Sunset blushed. “Thanks, Rares. I mean that.”

“Oh, I know you do. It just took you some time to acknowledge that.” A sudden gust of wind hit, its crisping air briefly chilling both girls’ faces. “You know what? I think we should go indoors. How does dinner and a movie sound?”

“Works for me. You buying?”

“Sure, as long as we don’t pick one of those testosterone-addled films that Rainbow is so fond of, or those juvenile toilet humor comedies that Pinkie prefers. Plus,” Rarity added as she stood up, “then you can owe me a favor with a wee problem I’m having.”

Sunset joined her, stretching. “And what would that be?”

“Oh, my cousin is getting married around Christmas – she wanted a winter wedding – and I was thinking about bringing a plus-one, save that I don’t have any boys that would successfully be charmin–”

“Rarity, if you’re going to ask me to put on a suit, pretend I’m a guy and talk in some trumped-up Spanish accent, the answer is no.”

Rarity looked flabbergasted. “How did you–?”

“Applejack told me after you asked her earlier in the week.” She sighed. “Honestly, why don’t you ask someone inoffensive to go with you, like Blue Gem or Slatestone?”

“Because they aren’t as charming as I know you can be, Sunset dear. Trust me, you’re making a mistake by turning me down….”

Sunset laughed as they started walking down the street. “Trust me, I’m an expert at making mistakes.”

“Oh, I’m _quite_ sure you’re not the only person in all of creation that has a monopoly on mistakes.”

“You so sure about that?”

Rarity giggled. “Positive.”

“Thanks for coming, Cadance,” Luna said to her niece as the younger alicorn came through the door. The two were standing on a balcony, looking over into the distance, specifically Celestia’s balcony, where the white alicorn sat, doing nothing save for nursing a cup of tea and looking at the royal gardens. “She’s been like that all day, and save for raising the sun, she’s pretty much asked to be left alone. Even Kibbitz and I couldn’t get to her.”

Recognition dawned on Cadance’s visage. “Yeah, this always happens around this time of year, for as long as I’ve been here,” she said, gesturing to the fall foliage. “She’s never said why, but I think that maybe autumn just gets to her on a personal level. You’re her sister; she’s never been like this before?”

“No, not before my, _ahem_ , ‘sabbatical’. And she won’t explain now.”

Cadance nodded. “Then I would just let her tell you in time, Luna. If we’re meant to know, someday we will.”

The midnight alicorn sighed. “I just wish I could do something for her.”

“Just give her space, then. The answer will come in time.”

  


Seated on her balcony, Celestia took the occasional sip of tea from a cup, quickly placing it back on the table. She had none of her regalia on, instead today choosing to wear a simple scarf that seemed to be made of leaves in perpetual fall. From her viewpoint, she watched as a single oak tree rained down leaves towards the ground, while at the same time seeming to grow new ones. To the solar alicorn, it almost seemed as if the tree was weeping for what it had lost.

As tears came to her own eyes, Celestia could hardly disagree.

**Author's Note:**

Did I do this for Sunset Day? Nope, actually, wanted to do it for fall. It wasn't until editing that I heard about EqD's Sunset Day.

Just felt like putting out another vignette, because I could.

Though this is a Smiths song, I was actually listening to the Dream Academy cover while writing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No I do not know why this wasn't just included in the story but whatever that's why I'm here.


	69. 7DSJ Book 1 Ch.10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Seven Days in Sunny June Book 1.

# December 14: Once Upon a Wintertime

**“SPIKE! GIVE ME BACK MY BOWTIE!”** Sunset raced down the hall, chasing after the young boy running off with a maize-colored bowtie in his hands.

“No!” he shouted back. “Not until you give me back my 3DS!”

“No, Mom said she could keep it for a week to teach you a lesson about knocking, squirt.” Twilight took the bowtie out of his hands and gave it to Sunset.

“Hey, I _said_ I was sorry,” he muttered.

Twilight looked fit to be tied. “Spike, it’s very rude to walk in on a girl while she’s taking a shower, especially since you know we have to fix that door handle!”

“But I had to use the bathroom!”

Twilight scowled at him. “And you couldn’t use the one downstairs? Or the one in Mom and Dad’s bedroom?”

“No – too far.”

The purple-haired teen groaned, shook her head, and just pointed towards his bedroom; Spike got the message and started walking. As he did, she turned to her foster sister, shrugging. “Sorry.”

“He’s just a kid, Twily. He’ll learn someday.” Sunset walked up to the hallway mirror, adjusting her tie, then double-checking both the tuxedo shirt and black pants she was wearing. Twilight was dressed similarly, save for a magenta bow. As Sunset was satisfied with her appearance, she asked, “Are you ready for this?”

“Not really,” she admitted. “Tavi’s better at crowds than I am. But if Pinkie’s family needs help, well, we _should_ help our friends, right?”

“Plus, it’s for a good cause,” Sunset pointed out. When the Sugarcube Corner Café was asked to assist with the county’s homeless shelter’s annual Christmas party for needy families, the Cakes immediately jumped in to help. Knowing the job would be big, Pinkie then asked her friends if they could help; without any hesitation, all the girls volunteered to waitstaff with the exception of Octavia, who offered to gather up a bunch of people she knew to play chamber and holiday music for the whole party.

“Don’t worry, Twily, you’ll be fine.” But as the pair walked down the stairs to get their jackets, the flame-haired teen looked at the clock and said, “So when is Tavi supposed to get here?”

“Well, my uncle and aunt – Evening Sonnet and Ballad – should be here any moment now; they’re running late because Tavi had to restring her bass. Fortunately, AJ called an hour ago and said that she picked up everyone else early and that they’re already there at the community center.” Just as Twilight finished her sentence, a horn blared from outside. “That’s them.”

“Kinda nervous about this,” Sunset admitted.

“Don’t worry about it! Uncle Evening and Aunt Ballad are great,” Twilight assured her. “They’re even more laid back than my parents, if that’s even possible. Besides, they’re just dropping us off on the way to the airport; either Mom or Dad’ll be picking us up tonight.”

As she placed another group of plates in front of a grateful family, Sunset looked at her friends and thought how oddly out of place they all looked; when they were trying to come up with a matching attire for the night, Octavia had suggested they base it off of what she usually wore at performances: black pants, tuxedo shirt, and a colored bow, in her case lavender, for just the right mix of comfort and style. Rarity had agreed, and since she worked at a bridal and formal boutique, coming up with the ensembles for her friends was easy.

The actual execution was a bit harder, however and in retrospect Sunset felt they all looked a bit on the comical side. Twilight and Fluttershy were trying to both help and hide from the crowd, but for different reasons; in Twilight’s case it was her social awkwardness, while in the latter girl’s instance it was both that and the fact that her shirt was just a _tad_ too tight – Fluttershy’s green bow looked like it could pop off at any moment, followed by many other buttons on her shirt. Rainbow, sporting a red bow, looked completely at ease in the outfit, but for all the wrong reasons; Applejack, wearing an orange tie, looked good in hers as well, but kept complaining that a bolo tie would’ve been “more proper.” Pinkie, with her baby-blue tie, had to be talked out of matching it with a neon yellow shirt and hot-pink pants – and where she _actually managed to dig those up_ no one wanted to know. Lastly was Rarity, wearing her purple tie, who complained constantly that perhaps wearing little black dresses would have been a better choice; knowing her, she just wanted to look elegant as always – pure functionality was never her strong suit.

As she picked up some empty plates, Sunset opted to take a break. Heading towards the kitchens, she looked around at the holiday decorations that she and the other girls had spent the last couple of nights putting up in order to get the center ready; in the past, she wouldn’t have really cared much about doing any of this – she certainly had never volunteered on any of the planning committees for any of the school dances – but this time, it felt like right thing to do, and she’d been rewarded by seeing the smile of happy faces, families down on their luck just glad to see young teens helping to make the world a brighter place during the holiday season.

Thinking about that, however, made her realize how much her life had changed in a few short weeks. Part of her felt as if it was still a dream, and the next blink would end the rapid eye movement sequence, allowing her to open her eyes to the bleak grayness of the old Flim-Flam Bros. warehouse. It would mean that everything that she’d been living the past few weeks would be nothing but a fantasy, and in the end she’d be the same damned unicorn-in-a-human’s-body that she’d been before this all started. But if her life of the past two months was just a dream, she thought, she never wanted to wake up.

Of course, not everything was perfect: Spike, for example, seemed to be a bit resentful of the fact that he wasn’t the newest member of the family anymore and was possibly hell-bent on making her life miserable; she was, however, sure that he’d come around. The big thing that had bothered her was the argument she and Twilight had a week after her stabbing; the girls didn’t speak to each other for a day and by the end of it Sunset had feared that it was the end of her time there, but instead Velvet and Night got the girls together to talk things over and by the end of that evening it had been long forgotten and life had gone back to normal.

And now that this was becoming her sense of normal, there was an additional undercurrent to it all: when would it all end? Admittedly, in her first couple of days, she’d actually considered running away for good, taking her chances in another city or state, perhaps even running up to Canada. But as the march of days continued, she found herself inexorably bound to her foster family. She now had parental figures that genuinely cared about her, an “older” brother who thought well of her and two younger pseudo-siblings, three if Octavia was added into the mix. And though Sunset was in truth three years older than Shining, she found herself more and more wanting to embody the teenager her ID said she was: a girl just three weeks older than Octavia and five more than Twilight.

For the first time since her days under Princess Celestia’s wing, she felt she had something truly precious and far more valuable than the power she’d once craved. Finally, Sunset Shimmer had something to lose…and that thought filled her with dread.

  


As she entered the kitchen area, she saw Rarity, seated at a table hidden from the main area’s view, nibbling from an éclair and drinking sparkling grape juice from a plastic flute. As she saw Sunset come in, the teen fashionista said, “Sunset, is everything alright?”

“Uh, yeah, everything’s fine. Why?”

“Frankly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this quiet. And if I may, you look like the time I told my sister she couldn’t borrow my favorite camisole – I swear, thirteen-year-olds can be _so_ melodramatic at times.”

“Sweetie Belle’s that old already?”

“Yes, and while I admit she still acts as though she’s ten sometimes, I suspect that’s more to do with the rather rambunctious influence of her friends,” Rarity replied, patting the seat next to her, insisting that her friend join her. Sunset took the hint and sat down, and as she did, Rarity whispered, _“Plus, you look like you did shortly after you were purified from that…you know. And so I know something is wrong, Sunset. I’m always here if you need me.”_

“Thanks, Rarity,” the ex-unicorn replied, wondering if she should say anything to her friend. A second later, she knew that was fine; the teen fashionista was probably the one Sunset was closest to since her defeat and the one knew her best. “Would you believe me if I told you that now that I have something that means the world to me – really means everything to me – I’m afraid of losing it?”

“My, my, my, so you really are only human after all…in a manner of speaking, of course,” Rarity said with a playful wink. “But seriously, dear, I suppose you’re just getting used to having the same kind of normal life the rest of us lead, aren’t you?”

“I’m just getting used to having a life, _period_ ,” Sunset answered. “I had a nightmare the other night where they all found what I really am and abandoned me.”

“I don’t think that would ever happen, Sunset. You are a part of their family now, and seeing you without Twilight or Octavia is, well, a bit like a matching ensemble missing the proper purse, to use an analogy.”

“And yet neither of them know about….” Sunset then raised her hands up towards the sides of her head, in imitation of pony ears. “To be honest, you and our friends are only a few of those who know the whole thing…and you’re the _only_ person on this world I’ve ever shown what I really look like.”

Rarity gave a slight smile. “I’m touched that you have such confidence in me, Sunset, I really am. But it sounds as though you need to get this off your chest. If I may, I suggest telling our friends, if only so that we may continue to help you.”

“Maybe you’re right. Can you get the girls together on Monday and we can talk about it at lunch?”

“Of course, dear,” Rarity said, finishing off her éclair. She then looked at the crowds still at the tables, listening to the music, and as she rose from her chair, she said, “Now, I think we should get back before the others think we’re goofing off…though I daresay that if goofing off were a sport, Pinkie would likely be the all-time grandmaster.”

Sunset laughed as she rose from her chair, glad to have a friend in her former rival. “No argument there, Rares.”

  


As the pair stepped out, they were surprised to see Ms. Cheerilee, Canterlot High’s English teacher and school librarian, walking around the front of the kitchen, looking agitated. “No, I’m _glad_ you’re okay!...Look, just take care of yourself, sis and we’ll figure something out. You know where I keep my spare house key…Yeah, I’ll see you tonight, then…Love you too, Toola. Bye.” Cheerilee shook her head, muttering something other her breath.

“Ms. Cheerilee? Is there something the matter?” Rarity asked.

The teacher nodded. “My sister, Toola-Roola, was driving in from Los Angeles so she could entertain the kids – she’s a performing magician – but she hit a patch of black ice on the Interstate just short of Colton and skidded off the road. She’s fine, but her car’s totaled. And now we don’t have anyone to keep the children busy.”

Rarity thought for a second, then said, “Maybe we could get that one girl from the drama club, Trixie Lulamoon. She says she wants to be a stage magician for a living.”

Sunset shook her head. “Not a good idea; for starters, this would be a last second thing and Trixie’s probably got something planned. Second, do you know how to get a hold of her?”

“Not really, no, though I’m sure Pinkie—”

“ _I’ll_ do it,” Sunset said. “I’ve, um, studied magic tricks in my spare time.”

Cheerilee looked at her curiously. “Really?”

“You’re missing _The Blue Man Group Guide to Magic_ , _Stage Magic for Dummies_ and _Abracadra! The Illustrated Book of Prestidigitation_ ,” Sunset rattled off. When Cheerilee’s eyes narrowed she said, “I stole them, I admit it, but I also gave the money to replace them to Principal Celestia back in October as part of my restitution.”

“Okay, if you can do it,” the teacher said, as her anger receded. “Those children are more important than the books. I’ll go gather them by the stage. Think you’ll be ready in ten minutes?”

“Make it five,” Sunset boasted.

As the teacher walked away, Rarity asked, “Are you sure about this? And I thought you knew that human magic isn’t real—”

“I didn’t steal them,” Sunset told her friend. “Snails did. He was trying to figure out how to ask Trixie out and he thought that if he was a magician as well, that would do it. After the whole ‘event’, I found out about it and told Celestia I stole them so he wouldn’t get in trouble. I was already in a world of shit, and he was doing it because he was sweet on her – I thought I’d give him a break.” She shrugged. “Of course, somehow Celestia found out, but I agreed to pay for the missing books if she let Snails off the hook.”

“I see. But how are you going to….”

“It’s almost a full moon, which means my magic will be at its strongest. It’ll leave an afterglow, but I can mask that with an obscurity charm. Besides, with what I have in mind, it’ll look more like stage magic than anything else. Trust me.”

“If you insist,” Rarity said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Yeah. Let the other girls know and have them run interference for me so Tavi and Twily don’t see. Either of them might ask about it and I just want to make sure that we’re all on the same page.”

“Understood,” she said, heading off to talk to Pinkie, who was the closest.

As the kids gathered round, Sunset checked her pockets to make sure that she had everything that she needed from Pinkie – though why Pinkie had any of it on her was incomprehensible. _I really have to wonder if she carries confetti, sparkle powder and snap caps with her on a regular basis._ Finally, as the last of the children sat, she found all of them looking at her with rapt attention; many adults were as well – and certainly her friends and both Twilight and Octavia, the last two with a proud look on their faces.

Closing her eyes, she focused on the obscurity charm first, letting the magic flow through her fingers, as she had no horn. It was weaker, given that it was through ten outputs instead of a single fount and that she couldn’t draw from Equestria’s leylines, but it would suffice. As she cast the spell, she intentionally left her friends out of the spell so that they could see.

  


“Wow! Her hands are _totally_ glowing and that looks _soooooooo_ cool!” Pinkie chirped. “It’s like she’s got LEDs attached to her fingertips!”

“Pinkie, what on Earth are you talking about?” Octavia asked.

“Can’t you see that, Tav—”

“Uh, Pinks?” Rainbow interjected, “Did you go off your meds again?” Looking at Octavia and Twilight, Rainbow lied through her teeth to cover for Sunset. “I think she’s had too much sugar again.”

“Probably,” Twilight laughed as they focused on Sunset’s performance on stage.

  


_Thanks, Rainbow,_ Sunset mused as she began.

“Long ago, there was a far-away world filled with unicorns and pegasi and small ponies. They lived in a magical land—” waving her hand, Sunset drew the sparkle powder out of her pocket via magic, creating a dazzling arc of twinkling brilliance, “—and they lived under a gentle and wise ruler, a great alicorn princess.”

A little girl’s hand shot up and she asked, “What’s an acilorn?”

Sunset smiled. “ _Alicorn_ , little one – they’re like winged unicorns, but much more beautiful, graceful and powerful.” _And somepony to fear when you’ve hurt the one who loved you most._ “The alicorn princess was so special, she was responsible for raising the sun and the moon, so her little ponies could enjoy both the day and the night. But she was lonely and felt she had much to teach her little ponies, but couldn’t do it all by herself – even someone as great as a princess has other duties.

“One day, the princess decided that she would take a special pony of her own as a student, so that pony would someday be a great help to her.” Sunset triggered another spell, bringing forth a simulated image of herself as a filly, and a copy of Princess Celestia, colored with the dawn-pink mane her mentor had said she’d had when she was younger. She left it long enough for the crowd to see, then pulled the images behind her and dissipated the spell, to look like she’d used paper cut-outs and was folding them into her back pocket. “She chose a young filly from a nearby orphanage—”

“What’s a filly?” a boy asked.

“A filly is a little girl pony,” Sunset answered.

“Why didn’t she choose a boy pony?” another asked.

“I really don’t know,” Sunset said, trying to keep the emotions welling up inside her out of her voice. “Maybe she felt the orphan would never fail her.” She paused to take a breath and said, “The princess found the orphaned filly, a unicorn, during Hearth’s Warming: it’s like Christmas, but a _little_ different – otherwise, it’s the same. The princess asked the orphan if she wanted to live in the palace and be her student, and the orphan, who was a special little filly because she was filled with magic and love, hugged the princess and was glad to be chosen as the princess’ special student.

“As the years passed, the filly grew up to become a young mare, which is kinda like a teenager,” Sunset said, conjuring a copy of the image she’d shown Rarity a few weeks back, “and she grew up to be the princess’ finest student. But more importantly, she loved the princess as though the alicorn was her mother, and the princess loved her back like the daughter she never had. Many other ponies were wondering if someday the princess would adopt the unicorn and make her a princess as well,” Sunset said, putting away her self-portrait. “And if you asked the unicorn, at the time, she would have wanted that. Very much.”

  


Rarity blinked away tears, knowing now was not the time. While there was a smile on Sunset’s face, her eyes shone differently. _You don’t have to do this to yourself, dear,_ the fashionista wanted to shout aloud. Looking at her friends out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the same stoic masks on their faces as well. She knew that Monday would be a long discussion.

“I didn’t know Sunny was that good an actor,” Twilight said, unaware of what was really going on. “She’s keeping her voice even, but I can see something in her eyes.”

“I guess she picked up some kind of stage training, Twily,” Octavia said, agreeing. “In my music class, they teach us how to have a stage face, how to keep your feelings off your face so you can perform without it affecting you. But I wonder where she learned all of that from.”

“Well, despite her grades, she _is_ well read, dears,” Rarity pointed out. “Maybe she’s learned through that way?”

“Maybe,” Twilight agreed.

  


“Then one day, the princess decided to show the unicorn a valuable treasure, one of the most wonderful things in the world, a magic mirror.” This, Sunset knew, was where fantasy diverged from reality. The unicorn of the story would have a Happily Ever After, because that’s what happened in these stories, whether in Equestria or on Earth. But the real unicorn in question’s story ended when she betrayed her mother figure, and four years later, was still paying the price.

_Here’s hoping the rest of the story doesn’t sound too much like I’m lying to them; I already know I’m lying to myself._

“The unicorn looked in the mirror and saw herself as an alicorn, just like the princess she loved so very much,” Sunset began when she heard a woman’s frantic cries.

Everything stopped as the woman frantically shouted, “Viney? Viney? Has anyone seen my daughter, Grapevine?”

Cheerilee ran up to the woman and asked, “What does she look like?”

“Fair skin, purple hair and rose eyes,” the upset mother answered. “She’s never done anything like this before! Oh, Viney,” the woman said, starting to break into tears.

Sunset jumped off the stage and ran to her friends. “We gotta help,” she told them, though from the looks in their eyes, they’d thought the same thing.

To Sunset’s surprise, Twilight took charge; somehow, the girls all looked to her as a leader because of her pony counterpart, though she didn't know it, but the determination in the teen’s eyes was entirely her own. “We’ll split into pairs of two and search outside; we can assume that everyone will be looking inside the community center.”

Mrs. Cake, overhearing them, said, “Good idea – we’ll have everyone look in the building; it’s a big enough one, but it’s snowing outside and we should be looking out there as well.”

“Right,” Twilight said, nodding. “Each person can run down the opposite direction of the other; we’ll use Skype to keep in touch so we can talk in multiples at once. You all have Bluetooth?”

“Ah forgot mine at ho—”

“No worries!” Pinkie said, pulling a bunch of Bluetooth earsets out of her pocket. “I always keep emergency Bluetooths in case of emergency Bluetooth situations. And they’re already fully charged!”

“How did you—” Octavia began.

“It’s Pinkie,” Sunset said, as if that explained everything.

“Oh…kay,” Twilight said. “Anyway, me and Tavi will search Saddleback Avenue. Fluttershy, you and Pinkie take 17th Street. Rainbow, you and Applejack take 16th. Sunny, you and Rarity have Fairvista Boulevard. She can’t have gone far, but it’s snowing out there and she could be in danger.”

“Then let’s get a move on, girls!” Applejack said as they raced to grab their jackets.

About ten minutes later, Sunset was two blocks west of the community center, looking around the brownstones around the intersection of Fairvista and 14th. “I’m on Fairvista and 14th and I don’t see anything,” she said into her Bluetooth.

_“Ah’m over at 16th and Nutley Drive, and there's nothing here!”_ Applejack answered.

_“Nothing here on 17th and Avenida de la Merced,”_ Fluttershy replied, tripping over the street’s Spanish name.

_“This is crazy! I’m approaching Saddleback and 18th and I don’t see anything! And the snow’s getting worse!”_ Octavia cried.

_“Just keep searching,”_ Twilight said. _“Mrs. Cake, have the police arrived yet?”_

_“Nothing yet, Twilight,”_ Pinkie’s aunt replied, _“but the 911 dispatch operator said they’re on their way.”_

_“Okay. We’ll keep looking,”_ Twilight said. On her end, Sunset took that as a hint and continued looking around the area, desperate to find the child. She’d remembered when, as a filly, she’d gone out on a Hearth’s Warming Eve the year after she’d been taken in by Princess Celestia. Escorted by one of the maids and given some money so she could buy a Hearth’s Warming present for the princess, she’d been separated from the escort and wandered the streets alone for who knew how long in the falling snow, so much so that she caught poneumonia. She later found out years later that the maid had been paid by a noblepony to intentionally lose her in the hopes that she would never be seen again and that Celestia had dealt with the issue, but at the time she’d heard it she was already in her decline.

But now, looking for a little girl, she was suddenly reminded of her own situation back then, and how lonely, cold, and afraid she’d been – and worse, unloved, as if she’d been abandoned.

_That’s not going to happen to anypony else if I can help it,_ she thought, subconsciously using her native pronoun. _We have to find that little girl and fast!_

  


It was on the other side of Fairvista and 14th that she saw the half-covered footsteps. Following them, she traced the tracks into a park, only to find the little girl, sitting under the relative protection of a plastic playground structure. “Grapevine?” Sunset called out.

“I don’t wanna go back!” the little girl cried out. “Don’t make me go back!”

Instead of telling the kid otherwise, Sunset asked, “What’s wrong?”

Grapevine looked forlorn. “Daddy hits Mommy all the time because he says he didn’t want me,” she said, rubbing her eyes; it was clear that she’d been crying. “So if I run away, then Mommy can go back to Daddy and everything will be better.”

“Oh, sweetie, no it won’t,” Sunset said, her heart falling at the child’s words. “It’s not your fault. Your dad…it’s a long story, but it’s not your fault.”

“Can you fix it then?” the little girl asked, eyes full of hope. “You’re a magic lady and Mommy always said that only magic will fix things.”

“Grapevine, I wish I could. But I don’t have that kind of magic. If I did, I’d have been like the unicorn in the story I was telling you. But running away won’t make anything better, Grapevine,” Sunset said. “Trust me, it won’t. It didn’t make things better for the unicorn.”

“Really?”

Sunset nodded. “I didn’t get to finish my story: after seeing the mirror, the unicorn became bad. She misbehaved and made the princess that loved her very much sad. And then one day, she ran away, never to return. It wasn’t fair what the unicorn did to the princess, because the alicorn loved the unicorn as if she were a daughter, but by the time the unicorn realized what she’d done, it was too late. She was far away, unable to say how sorry she was, and how much she loved the princess for raising her.” By this point, Sunset’s voice had become a soft whisper and her eyes became filled with tears.

Grapevine, not noticing, asked, “Did the unicorn ever go back to her mommy?” When Sunset looked at the little girl, the youth said, “The princess was the unicorn’s mommy, right? And if you said that running away is bad, did the unicorn realize and go back to her mommy?”

“I don’t know,” Sunset lied. “I…I never heard the end of that story. But I _do_ know that you running away from your mom will only make her sad,” the teen said, embracing the little girl. “And your mom needs you more than ever, Grapevine. She’s probably going through a hard time right now, but she’s doing it for you – and just running _never_ makes things better in the end.”

  


“She’s right, you know, little one. Hurting people isn’t much fun.” Both females looked to see a woman standing there with a flashlight, dark skin, and salt-and-pepper hair. “You may not know the rules of this park,” the woman said, her teal eyes radiating warmth, “but it is closed after dark.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” Sunset said to the strange rhyming woman. “It’s just that the girl—”

“I overheard part of your words; your reasoning is quite assured.” The woman reached into her pocket and held up a cellphone. “I’ve taken the time to call for a hand; but you’ve done a great deed – an action quite grand.” At that point, sirens rang in the distance, and within seconds a cop pulled up, and Grapevine’s mother raced out.

“Mommy!” the child shouted as she rushed into her mother’s arms. “I’m sorry, Mommy, I was trying to—”

“It’s okay,” the mother said, holding her child and crying tears of joy. “It’s okay.” Looking up at Sunset as though she were an angel, she said, “Thank you, miss! I can’t say enough.”

“I’m just glad to help,” Sunset said, feeling both relieved and troubled at once: relief, that she’d done a good deed, but anguish that she’d relived her horrific treatment of Princess Celestia once again.

“I see you are as described,” the African-American woman said, nodding in approval. “You do your foster family proud, young one.”

Sunset blinked. “Wait…you stopped rhyming. And you know me?”

“Only by reputation,” the woman said, offering a hand. “Zecora – I’ve been the family physician for Night Light, Twilight Velvet and their family for nearly two decades now,” the lady said, as Sunset shook her hand. “Velvet told me about you during her last physical and the description was very accurate: flame-haired girl, somewhat tough, but with a heart of gold.”

“I…see.”

“Also that you don’t take compliments very well,” Zecora added with a smile. “As for me, my townhouse is just over there—” she said, pointing to a lit home just on the other side of the park, “and as for my rhyming, well, I found it tends to soothe young children. Picked it up from my grandmother back in my native Kenya, but never thought it would be of any use until I started treating kids.”

“Well, I’m glad that this has been solved,” Sunset said, “things could have been so much worse.”

“But it sounds as though you averted that, and that’s something to be _very_ proud of,” Zecora told the teen. Then, turning to the mother, she said, “If you’ll allow me to go get my medical bag, I’d like to check the child to ensure she’s okay.” The mother nodded, and with that, the doctor sprinted back to her townhouse.

Ten minutes later, Sunset felt she’d practically been hugged to death. And between her friends – _especially_ Pinkie – and her foster family, she was basking in adulation she didn’t really feel right now. And as the dinner wound down and Grapevine and her mother Sangria profusely thanked her, Sangria promised the teen that she would find a way to make a better life for her and Grapevine.

“You did a good thing today, Ms. Shimmer,” Ms. Cheerilee told the teen as Sangria and Grapevine departed. “I’ll be sure to let Principal Celestia know about this.”

“Thanks,” she said, yawning as the last vestiges of adrenaline vacated her system. The one thing she wanted to do now was just go home and deal with her personal demons.

“Sunny, got a moment?” Applejack asked her.

“We’ll be waiting by the car,” Twilight assured her as she and Octavia went off to meet up with Twilight’s parents.

Applejack waited until the cousins departed before speaking again. “Since the café’s closed, we all decided to meet tomorrow at the Panera over on Baker Street. Rarity says it’s usually empty and we can get a secluded booth. Noon work for ya?”

“Sure, but what about Twily and Tavi?”

“Rarity already talked to them and they said it’d work out so they can do Christmas shopping for what they’re getting ya.”

“In that case, noon’s fine, AJ,” Sunset said weakly. “Though really, you don’t ha—”

“Ah mean it, Sunny,” the former farmgirl said. “What Ah saw tonight…Ah just want you to know…we’re _always_ here for you.”

“Thanks,” she said to Applejack, then looked at the others. “I’m just going to go home and get some sleep. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

_Sunset faced Princess Celestia. She was a filly once more, standing on the snow-covered streets of Canterlot – the pony capital, not the city she currently lived in. Around her were throngs of ponies, going about their daily lives, not really caring about the princess and her student as they sat in the middle of the white-coated road. Sunset had yet to determine whether that was a good thing or not._

_“Do you think this makes up for all the hurt you’ve caused me, Sunset?” Celestia asked, the look on her face even and flat, not full of anger or rage. In many ways, that hurt worse than the earlier dream. At least that dream-Celestia she could face off against; the angry alicorn that Sunset last remembered. But the Celestia she looked at now was the one of the past, the one who had been practically a mother to her, the one that had been before Sunset had ever set her eyes on that damn mirror._

_“I don’t know,” she said in a foal’s voice. “I don’t know if it does, or if I can ever change what’s happened. I will likely never see you again, and maybe that’s for the best. Maybe there’s a part of you that thinks that exile is preferable to my death, and if so, count me lucky.”_

_“Maybe is a long time, Sunset Shimmer,” the dream alicorn said. “You may return to Equestria someday, possibly even of your own volition. You cannot discount that. And if you return to Equestria, you will have to face me once more.”_

_“Maybe, maybe not,” Sunset replied. “But to answer your question, no, what I did for that child today may never make up for it. And it was never meant to. I did it because a mother pined for her child and a child needed her mother. Nothing more, nothing less.”_

_The alicorn arched a delicate eyebrow. “And you mean to tell that none of it was influenced in the least by your past? As if none of it matters and you think you can start with a blank slate?”_

_Sunset had no real answer to that; anything she said would probably make her a liar one way or the other. So instead, after a couple of uncomfortable minutes, she replied, “Probably not.”_

_“Of course not!” Celestia replied angrily. “You are_ damned _– you damned yourself, and you know that the only reason that you still live is because it’s not worth my time to head there; I sent Twilight merely to reclaim her crown, nothing more than that. Speaking from the point of view of a ruler, you have solved the issue of punishment for me and that’s all that needs to be done.”_

_But then she leaned closer to Sunset and whispered in a quiet yet dangerous tone, “But you hurt me, when you knew how much I loved you. You took that love and spurned it for power, belittling a princess – a_ goddess _– and there is a price to pay for that. You know that no matter where you run to or how far you run will never protect you. Someday I will find you, Sunset Shimmer, and you will face your true punishment then.” Celestia’s eyes became solar furnaces of anger and animosity, and as Sunset could feel the blistering heat radiate from them, there was nowhere she could run, not while as a mare._

  


_“And you call yourself just and wise,” a voice said venomously as she felt gentle fingers scoop her up. She looked to see the face of Octavia looking at the alicorn with eyes of anger. “She need never worry about redemption; her friends have helped her with that. She need only worry about her family now, knowing that she’s loved.”_

_Octavia then faced the filly, her eyes much warmer now. “You’ll always be safe, Sunset. We are family and we will go to hell and back for you, because you know you’d do the same for us.”_

_“But I….”_

_“…should always remember that,” Octavia said, placing a gentle kiss on the filly’s forehead. “Whether you’re awake or not.”_

_Feeling eminently safe, Sunset snuggled into Octavia’s arms._

  


Opening her eyes, she was somewhat surprised to find that she was alone in her bed. _Maybe I_ have _gotten a little too used to having Tavi and Twily here,_ she thought, chuckling nervously. While it was completely innocent, the last thing she needed was for anyone to suggest otherwise.

A quick shower and a change of clothes later, she was downstairs, noting that everyone else in the house had departed to go shopping. There was also a quick note from Velvet and Night, indicating that the doctor had called them earlier in the morning to explain everything that had occurred, and that alongside a quick explanation from Twilight and Octavia as to what had transpired, both adults now had the full story and were exceedingly proud of what she’d done.

Sunset blushed at that; maybe Zecora was right in that she didn’t take compliments well or often.

Grabbing her jacket and a scarf, she headed out the door for the six-block walk to the subway.

“You look fried, sugarcube,” AJ said to Sunset the moment she sat down with her hot apple cider. Sure enough, the restaurant was empty, likely because it was in the middle of the town’s Financial District, to which almost no one ever came during the weekend save for foreign traders and the hard-charging round-the-clock businesspeople. As such, the Panera on the corner of Baker Street and Longtail Trail Road was open, though rarely patronized – and thus perfect for a quiet conversation.

“The events of last night just really took a lot out of me,” she admitted.

“The part about you telling everybody about your past, or chasing after that kid?” Applejack asked.

“That obvious?”

“Only to us, Sunset,” Fluttershy said, giving her friend a warm smile. “But I think everyone else thought it was a wonderful story.”

“Yeah, well I had another nightmare last night. Really, really fun and I’m glad Twily or Tavi didn’t poke their heads in to hear me talking about being a little filly or stuff like that. My life is awkward as is,” she groaned.

“Well, couldn’t you say that it was just a weird dream or something?” Rainbow asked. “Like, the month before we all became friends again I had this weird dream where I was the lead singer of a Canadian pop band. Fuck, I don’t even _like_ pop music!”

“You know, I just noticed something,” Fluttershy said as she drank her berry smoothie. “Ever since you began your current living arrangements, you’ve referred to the princess we knew as just ‘Princess Twilight’ or ‘the Princess’ rather than by her last name. And you’ve _always_ called your foster sister Twily.”

“Yeah, it just helps me keep them apart in my head, I guess. Why?”

She shook her head, pursing her lips. “Oh, no real reason – I just thought it was cute, that’s all.”

“Well, I think it’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” Pinkie chirped, carrying a quintet of trays from the pick-up counter, each holding a steaming sourdough bowl of soup. “Okay, french onion for Rarity, chicken noodle for Rainbow, tomato bisque for Fluttershy, _aaaand_ the cream of mushroom and wild rice for AJ! Eat up, girls!” Pinkie then looked at Sunset. “I’m still waiting for mine. Want me to grab yours?” Sure enough, Sunset’s pager went off and before she could answer, Pinkie yanked it out of her hands and rushed back toward the counter.

“So, you were saying?” Rainbow prompted.

“Just thinking about all of it just made me realize that I’m lying to people that I care about on a regular basis. I mean, they opened their house and lives to me, taking me in with open arms, and yet I’m withholding something from them, something that really makes me feel like I don’t belong.”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, my sister had the same issues when she found out she was adopted.”

“Ah didn't know Scoots was adopted,” Applejack said.

“Well, you know my parents are always talking about having another kid, but in their case they mean biological – Scootaloo came into our lives in a…somewhat _special_ manner.” She took a drink of her Mountain Dew, then continued. “I was about eight – it was the year I went to summer camp and met Fluttershy.”

“Camp Youngflier, woo-hoo,” Fluttershy said, waving her hands like a butterfly in an attempt to be comical. Everyone chuckled at that.

“Anyway, while I was at camp that summer, Mom and Dad were having issues with the next-door neighbor, I guess she was mentally unbalanced or something. I dunno what the deal was, but I guess after the whole thing with Gilda and her dad a couple of years before was more than enough for my parents, so they tried to stay clear. Anyway, she told me that one day she was headed to her car one morning when she heard a crying in the woman’s apartment, and the door was wide open. As she walked by, she noticed that the apartment was completely empty…save for a little kid. Mom looked around, but the neighbor’s car wasn’t there, and the apartment was already a craphole and in the middle of it was an abandoned girl.”

“Oh, my, Scootaloo was abandoned?” Rarity asked, floored.

The look on Rainbow’s face was one of disgust. “Cops later arrested Scoots’ birth mom that night for child abandonment; the bitch said she was glad she left her behind, because otherwise she would have just dumped her off on the freeway somewhere.” The table was silent for a few and Rainbow added, “Scoots was too young to really remember anything. Anyway, County Services let us take her in as a foster kid and she lived with us until the courts stripped the mother of her parental rights. After that, Mom and Dad petitioned to adopt Scoots, and we got the go ahead the year after. Then shortly after that, Dad got the job here in Canterlot and we moved.

“Scoots always wondered why she had much lighter skin than we did, and we just told her that she took after Mom’s side, which I guess is sorta true, since most of the people on that side of the family have lighter skin and darker hairtones. But finally, when Scoots turned thirteen this year, Mom and Dad decided to tell her everything.” Rainbow was quiet for a second before she said in a soft voice, “It…it didn’t go very well.”

“And?” Sunset asked as Pinkie set her order in front of her, then plopped down in the chair next to her.

“What can I say? She was totally devastated – she thought it meant that she really wasn’t one of us, that we weren’t her family. But Mom, being the totally cool mother that she is, took Scoots in her arms and said that we had her in our lives not because there was an obligation or any of that bullshit, but because _we wanted her there_. And honestly? I can seriously say that having my little sister in my life makes things _at least_ twenty percent cooler.” Rainbow tried to hide daubing a tear from her eye, but she couldn’t quite pull it off.

“ _Only_ twenty percent?” Rarity teased.

“Well…Scoots will never be as cool as yours truly,” the rainbow-haired athlete boasted, “but somebody’s gotta show her the ropes on being completely awesome!”

“And humble, too,” Applejack jibed, to which Rainbow responded by sticking her tongue out at her. “But what Ah think Miss Modesty over there is trying to say is that your family will love ya no matter what, Sunset. And we know ya love them too.”

Sunset gave her friend a lidded look. “You think so?”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Oh, _puh-leeze_ – you just can’t pull off that tough-girl thing anymore, Sunny; it’s just not you! Besides, seeing you smile looks _waaaaaaay_ better! Leave the frowning to meanies and baddies; you’ve got better things to do with your life!”

“Like what, Pinkie?” Sunset seethed. “Like lying to the family that’s taken me in? Or convincing them that I’m something I’m not? Maybe even telling the people that I’ve grown to care about a line of bullshit when there others who know the truth? And every time I feel like I’m finally where I belong, I keep seeing Celestia’s eyes on me, just practically telling me what a fuckup I am!”

“I’m curious, though: what does our principal have to do with your issue?” Rarity asked.

“Not _Principal_ Celestia, Rarity – _Princess Celestia_!” Sunny said, getting up from the table before she flipped it. Had she been her old self, she knew she would have, then left the mess there and not given a fuck about anything else. But she wasn’t that Sunset Shimmer anymore – yet all she could see in the mirror was the admonishment and hurt of her old mother figure.

Rainbow nearly did a spit-take of her drink. “Wait, wait, wait – back the fuck up, Sunset. _Princess_ Celestia?”

“Yeah. Princess Celestia.” And with that, she began to explain. The girls sat there, curious at first, then one by one they started to look at their friend with a mixture of sympathy and sorrow. For her part, the story was gut-wrenching and painful, but Sunset needed to get this off her chest. She’d lived with the guilt of hurting Celestia for so long, and there was no way for her to ever make up for it – even telling her human counterpart would raise more questions than answering them.

“So _that’s_ why Celestia was always able to control you,” Rainbow said. “Always thought a girl like you back then wouldn’t give a damn about what the principal thought. I guess when your principal looks like the woman… _er_ …horse? that raised you, yeah, I can see where that’d be one fuckton of an issue.”

“Alicorn,” Sunset said softly. “Princess Celestia’s an alicorn. And while there’s some differences between the two, when I see the face of one, it’s hard for me not to see the face of the other. Maybe it’s just ingrained in me, or maybe it’s just a need within me to see the Princess and apologize for the mare I was. But I know if I do that, all I’m going to do is just end up in a dungeon, or exiled, or in a dungeon in the place I was exiled to.”

“Does she know? Principal Celestia, I mean,” Fluttershy asked.

“No, and how am I supposed to tell her? ‘Oh, say, Principal – have I told you that you look like the goddess-empress of all ponydom who nearly adopted me and I pissed it all away because I went on a power trip? So yeah, only reason I listen to you is because you look like the horse with wings and a horn who was going to be my mom!’ Yeah, that’s going to go over _real_ well, Fluttershy.”

“Hrm….” The look on Pinkie’s face was thoughtful, and then she suddenly blurted, “Well, if Principal Celestia’s got a version over there, does that mean there are others? Could there be other versions of… _us_?”

“Pinkie dear, I don’t see that happening, as you’re one of a kind.” With a smile, Rarity then whimsically added, “Besides, I’m sure the multiverse isn’t ready for multiple Pinkies – who knows _what_ would happen then?”

“Well, if you want my advice, I think you should be honest with them,” Rainbow said. “It really hurt Scoots and I’d hate to see anyone I know go through that kind of crap again.”

AJ shook her head. “Normally Ah’d say honesty’s the best policy, Sunset, but…Ah’m not sure this is the best time. Don’t get me wrong, Ah’m not saying that ya should lie to them. Ah just think ya need a better way to explain all this. ‘Cause this _is_ weird, even if we, Principal Celestia, and Ms. Luna can back ya up on it.”

“Well, I think…I like the french onion better,” Pinkie said, finishing up her soup and starting to tear her sourdough bowl into pieces for eating. “But I also think that you should tell them when it’s time – but only you know when that is.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Pinkie just said some very wise words, Sunset,” Rarity added. “Only you can really know when it’s best to tell them. And it’s not as though you’re lying to them or living a falsehood, but instead just waiting for the proper moment for something – a girl has to have her secrets, after all.”

“Well, I know that Mom’s been afraid to tell Angel that our father left us after he was born. She’ll probably wait until he’s a teenager, since he’s fragile when it comes to that. So I know I would caution you to be careful, if only because Twilight is so sensitive.”

“Thanks,” she told them. “I just wish I had a clue as to what the hell to do.”

“Well, you can always, smile, smile, smile!” Pinkie practically sang.

That was the final straw for Sunset. **“SHUT THE FUCK UP, PINKIE!”** she yelled. “What, just keep smiling and lying to the family that cares about me? Just continue to treat them like shit when I _know_ I should be straightforward with them?” The moment from last night, combined with the nightmare, finally got to her and she broke down. Tears streaming down her face, she said, “I just can’t do this anymore! I just can’t take this anymore!”

The group was quiet for a while as Fluttershy immediately got up from her chair to hug the distraught teen. Pinkie’s hair deflated, feeling like she was the cause of her friend’s breakdown, and Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack felt a bit self-conscious for having brought their friend to a public place and inadvertently hurt her in the process.

After a few minutes of Fluttershy’s tender ministrations, Sunset was finally able to recompose herself. “Thanks, Flutters. And Pinkie, it’s not your fault. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

Pinkie’s hair practically repermed itself in a split-second. “Okay!” But she looked at her seriously as she said, “But I know how you feel, Sunny. I really do!”

_“Do you?”_

Pinkie nodded as her normally near-perpetual smile disappeared, and everyone save for Sunset wondered what was about to happen; Pinkie was rarely this serious. “Have you ever wondered why I live with my aunt, uncle and cousins instead of back home on the rock farm in Arkansas?”

“‘Rock farm?’” Applejack, also from a farming family, wondered.

Pinkie gave her friend a sad smile. “The Pie Family Rock Farm’s near Eureka Springs, which is just east of Bentonville; it’s been in our family since before the Civil War. And technically, it’s not really a farm, it’s a sandstone quarry. Rhubarb Pie, my great-times-whatever-grandfather got the land for something or other, I really don’t remember. But turns out the land was right on the Ozarks and useless as a farm. So he made a quarry instead, but as a joke, he named it a ‘rock farm’ and it stuck.

“Anyway, my Mom and Dad live on the farm, as do my sisters Marble and Limestone. My older sister, Maud, used to, but she’s currently studying geology over at Texas A&M. I’d be living there as well, but…something went wrong when I was born and I got a neurological disorder. Doctors said I could have a relatively normal life, but for the first few years I’d need extensive treatment, so I had to live near a major medical center that had the right equipment, and though Washington Regional was kinda advanced, at the time the only hospitals in the country that had what was needed were in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Dad didn’t want to sell the farm; it had been in the family forever. Fortunately, my mom’s sister – Auntie Cup – had just married Uncle Carrot and they were living in Santa Cruz at the time. Mom and Dad asked them for help, and even though my aunt and uncle were just barely out of college at the time, they took me in.

“The doctors declared that I was cured of my disorder when I was about six or seven, but by that time, I’d lived for so long with my aunt and uncle that Mom and Dad just thought it was best that I keep living with them. And when I was about nine, Uncle Carrot inherited some land and money here in Canterlot and we moved.” She looked at Sunset. “I go back to Arkansas twice a year – Christmas and for a week in the summer – but I never feel like I belong. They’re my parents and my little sisters, and I feel like a complete stranger when I’m there. Honestly, if it wasn’t for my sister Maud, I’d probably never want to go back.”

“I’m…sorry to hear that, Pinkie,” Sunset said.

“Don’t be. I have Auntie Cup and Uncle Carrot and my cousins, and I always feel like I’m loved. And I know my parents and sisters love me, even if they don’t really know how to relate to me at times. But the reason I’m mentioning all this is because your family loves you, Sunny – and just like Rainbow’s family with Scootaloo, they want you there. You belong.”

Sunset was still thinking over Pinkie’s words later that night while she was finishing up her Geometry homework. Fortunately, as lots of geometric formulae were used in spellcasting, it was a class she had an easy time in. _Unfortunately for me, I still have to study for my Spanish test tomorrow and I am horrid in that. Oh well, maybe I can get Rainbow to give me a quick brush-up during lunch since she grew up with it._

There was a knock on the door, and Sunset said, “Come in.” The door opened, and Twilight poked her head in. “Oh, hey, Twily, what’s up?”

“Heya, Sunny. You’ve got something downstairs for you; Mom wants you to come see it if you’re not too busy.”

“Yeah, well, thankfully I need a break from the books, so sure.”

  


As the girls descended the stairs, they found Twilight Velvet standing there, a beatific smile on her face; standing by her was both Tavi and Night. “Sunny, someone dropped this off from my office about ten minutes ago, and it’s for you,” she said, handing her both a folded piece of paper and a square package.

“Well, the suspense is killing us, Sunny!” Octavia said, grinning. “Okay, not really, but I want to see what you got.”

Nodding, Sunset first opened up the letter, reading it:

Setting the letter down, Sunset opened the package to reveal a simple picture frame, couldn’t have cost more than a dollar over at a cheap discount store, but that wasn’t the point. The point was the picture in the frame, on school construction paper, drawn in the sloppy style that only kids could do. While the pictures were more stick figures than anything else, it was clearly meant to be a picture of the alicorn princess and the unicorn from the story, with a pink heart over them both. At the bottom, over some lines that looked like grass were the scrawled words MOMMY AND DAUGHTER.

“That’s sweet,” Velvet said in appreciation. “Need help hanging it in your room, Sunny?”

The ex-unicorn said nothing, instead looking at the image that was supposed to be an ersatz version of her with an equally _roman à clef_ version of Princess Celestia. “Yeah, that’d be nice, thanks,” she finally voiced, in what she hoped was her best faked tone. It wasn’t as though she didn’t appreciate the sentiment from Viney or her mother; quite the contrary.

_It’s just that there are no happy endings to this fairy tale,_ she thought to herself as she carried the picture back upstairs to her room while Night went to go get the toolbox.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally this was one of my favorite chapters. I just love it so much. And well I'm going to call it a night and get back to it on some later day. Unless I get a cease and desist from the people who Actually wrote these stories. Of which I shall bow to their wishes. I respect them. They wrote one of my favorite series ever after all.


End file.
